The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Maksim Chmerkovskiy Peta MurgatroydSince welcoming Shai in February 2017, they have made him their star, making him their star.
The Dancing With the Stars couple’s first child was born six months before the twosome tied the knot in New York in July 2017. Murgatroyd thought back to the incredible experience of motherhood as she watched her son reach some memorable milestones in his first months.
“My Prince Shai….you gave me the title of Mother, and you have given me my proudest moments in life. I am forever your protector and you will always hold a special place in my heart,” the professional dancer wrote in a lengthy Instagram tribute to her baby boy in May 2017. “I understand what my mother used to say now…a mothers love for her child is unlike any other, I had to have you though to understand ❤️. … I have learnt more about myself in these past 4 months with the joy of having a child. It’s moments like these, where I find myself looking back and appreciating my greatest influencer, my mother, more than ever before.”
One year later, the New Zealand native shared his story. Us Weekly that it was “too early to tell” if Shai would inherit his parents’ sense of rhythm. The little one had made great strides by September 2020.
“He has started dancing,” she told Useat the time. “I don’t know if I would call it dancing dancing but he’s trying. He’s 3, so I can’t expect that much but he’s trying to do the cha-cha right now and he did a little bit of waltz the other day.”
The ballroom pros have enjoyed watching Shai’s growth, but the couple has always wanted to expand their family. In March 2020, Chmerkovskiy revealed that he’s hoping baby No. 2 is a little girl.
“I want to experience that relationship,” the Ukraine native told Useat the time. “When Peta said [her last pregnancy] was a boy, I had this elated reaction like, ‘Thank God.’ But immediately after that, I was like, ‘OK, now I’m ready for a girl.’ I just think it’s a special thing.”
Scroll down to see a selection of the DWTS couple’s cutest memories with their son, Shai.
