DWTS' Peta Murgatroyd Expecting Baby No. 2

For Maksim Chmerkovskiy, uncovering retired his wife Peta Murgatroyd was pregnant again—after an unsuccessful people of IVF and respective miscarriages—was some the top acquisition and besides a infinitesimal to halt and number his blessings.

"It's been documented that we've been trying to person a babe for a fewer years now, and it conscionable didn't work," the former Dancing With the Stars pro told E! News' Francesca Amiker ahead of Ukraine's Day of Unity on Jan. 22, the plight of his autochthonal state having been top of mind for the past year. "And talking astir accent being the dominating origin successful thing that's antagonistic with you and your health, present we are trying to get large portion I'm stuck successful Ukraine successful a war."

Yet close earlier Peta was astir to commencement her 2nd circular of IVF past year, she got pregnant, quality the parents of 6-year-old lad Shai shared with the world conscionable a week ago.

But delivering the quality to her hubby successful immoderate benignant of memorably adorable mode was not high on Peta's database of priorities erstwhile she archetypal recovered out, according to Maks.

If that sounds a small melancholy fixed the abundance of bully luck successful his corner, Maks acknowledged he's been having a pugnacious clip focusing connected "all the beauteous things"—including becoming an uncle connected Jan. 10, erstwhile younger member Val Chmerkovskiy welcomed his archetypal kid with woman Jenna Johnson aft their ain two-year fertility struggle.

"It was my day 2 days ago, my woman is pregnant, my member conscionable had a baby," Maks explained. "We conscionable went done New Year's, Christmas...And yet I person a hard clip posting thing that represents the happiness successful my household because, each day, I get to talk with idiosyncratic from Ukraine who has nary of that."

Ironically, helium noted, the "really resilient, truly sober-minded people" he's been in interaction with extremity up comforting him. "They're trying to speech maine retired of the information that I consciousness that way," helium said.

With, he was speedy to note, the assistance of Bethenny Frankel, who was among the archetypal of the American celeb acceptable to commencement fundraising and organizing connected behalf of Ukraine. Maks pointed to her BStrong instauration arsenic 1 of the honorable organizations helium trusts to administer funds wherever they're astir needed, and he, Val and their begetter Sasha Chmerkovskiy person besides started Baranova27—the family's thoroughfare code successful Odessa—to aid the Ukrainian people.

Maks said helium was readying to spell backmost to the area this month, but with different babe connected the mode and considering the agelong roadworthy it took to get there, helium decided to postpone the trip.

"I would similar to support my wife, archetypal and foremost, steadfast and happy," helium explained. "I was meant to beryllium successful Ukraine adjacent week, this was a agelong clip coming, readying and everything else. Then, conscionable sitting down with Peta and looking successful her eyes, and knowing however devastating that adjacent the imaginable [that thing mightiness happen] is to her, seeing her being 16 weeks into that cherished gestation that she wanted for truthful long. I conscionable can't bash it."

But he and Bethenny person teamed up erstwhile again to support Unify Ukraine, and for the country's Day of Unity connected Sunday Maks will beryllium successful Manhattan, wherever an installation of 335 sunflowers—the country's nationalist flower, 1 for each time of the Russian occupation—has been acceptable up extracurricular the Flatiron Building. In grant of the occasion, he's hoping to spot a flood of sunflower pictures connected Instagram with the hashtag #unifyukraine. (Click present for much information.)

Years ago, he admittedly wasn't each that acrophobic astir satellite events. And now, helium noted, "It's not about, 'Hey everybody, you should beryllium doing what I'm doing.' No, to each his own. This is my idiosyncratic journey."

If you privation to get involved, it's about "working the level that you have," Maks explained. "I've been beyond blessed with astir 2 decades of tv access. And truthful having this entree close here [to talk to the media], that's what I don't instrumentality for granted."

As acold arsenic his enactment connected the location front, Maks shared that he has not yet explained to Shai that there's a warfare going connected successful the country where his daddy was born. Not slightest due to the fact that he's not precisely definite what to say.

"I whitethorn look similar a batch of things, but up until a fewer years agone each I watched was cartoons," helium said. "I hatred fearfulness movies, I don't similar violence. I despise unit [against] idiosyncratic who can't reply back. I hatred bullying. And truthful for me, this benignant of warfare is each of those things. You tin telephone it politics, you tin accidental there's reasons for everything—there is nary crushed for this."

For now, though, Shai's large work is to hole to beryllium a large brother, which—yes—he's excited about.

Though arsenic acold arsenic Maks is concerned, Shai "already has a sibling, calved a week ago."

He shared that, after his nephew was born, they took a representation of Shai holding his babe relative and enactment it adjacent to a representation of 6-year-old Maks cradling newborn Val.

"My caput blew up," helium recalled happily. "Like, 'Uhhh, this is amazing.' For our Chmerkovskiy plan, it has been an unthinkable play of time. I truly bash anticipation it continues."