BABY JOY FOR THE BLOCK’S HAYDEN & SARA
Zipping around Sydney’s Centennial Park on her daughter’s snazzy three-wheeled scooter, Blockhead Sara Vale is the queen of the footpaths. It’s rare family time for the sporty 32-year-old flight attendant, her builder hubby Hayden, 45, and their 2-year-old cherub Harlow Rose, who’ve been torn apart by the demands of The Block these past few months. “Mum … mine,” pleads the tiny tot, pointing to her scooter, which is four sizes too small for Sara, sending both parents into fits of laughter as the mumof-one negotiates obstacles on the toy. The newlyweds have been pushed to the limit transforming their space in St Kilda’s Gatwick Hotel these past few months, leaving little Harlow in the care of her grandparents. “Sara and Hayden have basically only been allowed out to see Harlow once a week, for just a few hours at a time,” confides a family friend. “And it has had a big impact on them, particularly Sara, who missed her little girl desperately.
“Harlow’s been hitting language milestones and her mum and dad haven’t been there to hear them, which is heartbreaking. But she’s got to learn one word very well – ‘goodbye’ – and she doesn’t like hearing it one little bit.”
“She’s our only daughter and we’ve never spent that much time apart,” Sara has said on the Today program. “I felt like I was neglecting her at one of the most pivotal moments of her life.”
With Season 14 of the popular renovation show behind them, Sara and Hayden, who’ve been together for four years, are going full steam ahead towards their next project: a baby sister or brother for Harlow. The couples’ baby-making plans were put on hold the day they found out they’d been accepted to go on The Block. But now, there’s nothing holding them back.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve started trying already,” laughs the friend. “Sara and Hayden are still fairly new to family life, as opposed to just being a couple, but they’re already great parents – so giving and selfless with Harlow.
“They even fast-tracked her development from crawling to walking at just 10 months old, just so that she could walk down the aisle at their wedding.”
The genetically blessed pair are frequently spotted in Bondi with their toddler, pushing a pram near their rental property. Hayden, a construction manager, is planning a large renovation at their Stanwell Park property, one hour south of Sydney, but first they need time to recover from the stresses of The Block.
“They weren’t impressed with their portrayal on the show,” lets slip the family friend. “They’re a strong, loving couple, yet the producers only chose to show narrow, extreme snippets of their relationship. They would argue, but it was over quite quickly and we never got to see that. Thanks to Harlow, they’re more in love than ever, yet they’ve been pigeon-holed as ‘the villains’ on television because the pressure of missing their little girl took its toll on Sara and she dared burst into tears a couple of times.
“She did try to leave the show twice, but Hayden would remind her why they signed up – to set themselves up financially, to give Harlow a better life. To then read about their impending marriage break-up just has us shaking our heads.
“And they’re not snobby and estranged from the other couples, like has been suggested. It’s just that they chose to go visit Harlow on the Sunday afternoons they had off filming, instead of socialising at the pub with the others.
“Yes, their relationships with the cast suffered a little because of that, but there is no animosity.”
Harlow Rose is too young to understand the storminess of the past few months – and too happy to care. Everyone is back together and there are trees to swing on and Mum’s back to piggy-back ride.
With any luck, the happy-go-lucky 2-year-old will have a gorgeous sibling to look after before she knows it.
“SHE’S OUR ONLY DAUGHTER AND WE’VE NEVER SPENT THAT MUCH TIME APART,” SAYS SARA