Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy publicly reveal baby son Shai, talk upcoming "large wedding"

Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy are finally showing off their little bundle of joy and talking about big things to come.


During a Friday appearance on Good Morning America, the Dancing with the Stars pros publicly revealed their baby son, Shai Aleksander, for the first time since his "life-altering" January 4 birth, which brought Chmerkovskiy to tears in the hospital.

"I was hoping he would look like me and have [Peta]'s personality, so I'm just worried a little bit now because he looks like her," Chmerkovskiy, 37, joked of the adorable newborn.

Chmerkovskiy called the big reveal on GMA "nerve-wracking" because Murgatroyd, 30, explained, "We -- I specifically wanted to keep him very private from the beginning because we just wanted to keep him for ourselves. I think he's just so special that we wanted those moments, those first moments, to be for ourselves."

Now that the engaged couple has welcomed Shai -- which means "gift" in Hebrew -- into the world, the next stage of their lives is marriage.


"I'm just like, 'Whoa!' We are planning, not just any wedding, it's a large wedding. It's going to be three days with 300 people, so it's a lot," Murgatroyd admitted. "I had a moment of, 'Should we put it on hold for a little bit?' [But] he said, 'No way, baby, we're getting married!'"

"Not in that [aggressive] tone of voice, 'I want to marry you!'" Chmerkovskiy said with a laugh.

The pair's first child will apparently play a role in their wedding.

"We can just roll him out," Chmerkovskiy joked.

"It is all about Shai and it's amazing," Murgatroyd noted. "I'm okay with it... I think one of the moms will probably carry him down and he'll be all suited up and looking good."


Murgatroyd explained on GMA that accepting her body after giving birth was difficult at first.

"I left the hospital literally looking five months pregnant and at first I was like, 'Oh, wow,' like, I was a little disappointed," said Murgatroyd, who is starting a blog called "All Things Fam & Glam" that will give advice and inspiration for women and mothers.

"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. It's not about me anymore... and how I look and if I've got mascara on to go outside... We have these massive responsibilities now hanging over our heads."

When asked whether they'll return to Dancing with the Stars, Chmerkovskiy and Murgatroyd only offered up a "maybe."

"I could hardly move [after the deliver], like, I'm a professional dancer and it was difficult to get back because I haven't done it since I won with [Nyle DiMarco in Season 22]," Murgatroyd said. "I didn't think it was going to take this long, honestly. I was, like, 'Oh, I'll be back running in three days.'"


Ironically, Shai's parents hope he doesn't want to follow in their footsteps someday and become a professional dancer. Murgatroyd said she'd "thank God" if he had no interest in it, and Chmerkovskiy hopes his son will instead land "a billion dollar contract" playing on a professional sports team.

However, the new mom -- who said Chmerkovskiy is more "serene and calm" since becoming a father -- couldn't deny of Shai, "I think he's going to have a natural rhythm."

Dancing with the Stars' Season 24 cast will be announced Wednesday, March 1 on GMA.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski