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Maks Chmerkovskiy And Peta Murgatroyd: A First Look At New Baby Shai

By Bradley Ryder
Published on: 02:00 PST, Feb 17, 2017

Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd welcomed their new baby, Shai, into the world recently after announcing the pregnancy news last year. After the baby’s birth, Maks and Peta delayed showing off their pride and joy. However, the Dancing with the Stars duo revealed the newborn and are now discussing wedding plans.

Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd opened up their home in New Jersey to Good Morning America anchor Paula Faris. It marked their first interview since their 1-month-old baby was born.

Understandably, as Faris reported, Maks and Peta wanted to keep their early moments of childbirth private so they can relish the priceless time together as a family. However, the DWTS “First Family” decided that the time had come for them to let their fans celebrate their precious milestone with them.

Peta, 30, sitting adjacent to her fiancé Maks, 37, described the moments ahead of the interview as “nerve-wracking.”

“I specifically wanted to keep him very private from the beginning because we wanted him to ourselves. I think he’s just so special that we wanted those moments, those first moments, to be for ourselves.

“And you know, there’s going to come a time where he’s going to be with us walking hand-in-hand down the street and everyone’s going to be able to see him. And there’s so many moments and opportunities that are gonna come up very soon where you just, you can’t hide him any longer.”

Chmerkovskiy emphasized that Shai (Hebrew for “gift”) is an integral part of their lives now. As such, he and mommy Murgatroyd are now deeply inclined to share him with anyone who visits their home, now that the post-birth jitters are in check.

Peta opened up about a post-baby body moment in which she saw the effects of pregnancy. She expressed having a bit of melancholy when she saw that her once-svelte picture-perfect ballroom dancing body had undergone a drastic change. Murgatroyd reasoned that she had to do two things: open up about her disenchantment and embrace it.

“I left the hospital literally looking five months pregnant and at first I was like, ‘Oh, wow,’ like, I was a little disappointed. And I just realized that I just did the most beautiful thing that a woman can produce and do in life and I need to just suck it up, move on, and you know not worry about the little things.”

Peta Murgatroyd made a shocking revelation to their GMA visitor: she is on the fence about whether to return to Dancing with the Stars to compete again. Season 24 begins soon, but Peta has a dilemma and realizes the decisions bears more on Shai and less on her professional career as a dancer.

“It’s not about me anymore. It’s got nothing to do with me and how I look and if I’ve got mascara on to go outside. It is all about Shai and it’s amazing. I’m okay with it.”

Peta was “surprised” at the pace at which she got back in the saddle with her post-pregnancy regime. Like anything else, she realized that it was part of a process that requires — above all — patience.

The new mom admitted that it was difficult to get back in step with exercise because so much time had gone by since she was in tip-top shape. Peta thought it was simply a matter of resting for three days after giving birth and she’d be up and running again. Reality set in and she realized her expectations were not realistic.

Murgatroyd created All Things Fam & Glam, a lifestyle blog that helps pregnant and new moms cope with life ahead and their changing bodies.

“I wanted other women to know that it’s okay and that this is all normal and you don’t have to feel bad about your post-baby body. I mean, it was such a beautiful thing and you just have to be patient and you have to love yourself and love yourself through this whole process because it’s a lot.”

Like his future wife, Maks Chmerkovskiy is not sure about his return to professional dancing. However, there are two things he’s certain about: He doesn’t have a penchant for changing diapers and the birth of his son has helped him put life in perspective. The Mirrorball champion said he balled like a baby at the sight of his son’s birth.

“It’s very, as they say, life-altering. But now I understand why because you just start realizing things that you never even thought of before.”

Peta agrees and says she’s observed a change in Maks’ behavior now that he’s a first-time father. She described a calmer and more serene partner.

In a bit of irony, Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd said they could care less if Shai doesn’t grow up with a love for dancing. However, Maks quipped that he hopes Shai gets a “billion dollar” NBA contract.

With the arrival of Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd’s new baby, the new parents are planning their wedding. The details are still up in the air, but Peta said the nuptials would include invitations for 300 guests. Maks popped the question in December of 2015.

Recently, Peta said she thought it would be best to delay their marriage now that the baby has been born. However, Maks had other plans.

“No way, baby, we’re getting married,” Maks said.

Are you just as happy as we are to finally see Maks Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd’s new baby, Shai?

[Featured Image by Sergi Alexander/Getty Images]

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