Burke-Charvet family is “hanging in there”
Actress, model, and TV host Brooke Burke, 36, welcomed her fourth child, son Shaya, on the morning of Wednesday, March 5th. Already mom to daughters Neriah, 8, Sierra Sky, 6, and Heaven Rain, 15 months next week, Brooke blogs about getting her 4-week-old son acclimated to the family, Rain’s adjustment, and a relaxing hike that helps her clear her mind and de-stress.
Shaya is mostly eating and sleeping these days; I had forgotten how uneventful the beginning really is. Rain was going through a tough time, adjusting to a new baby that is taking mommy’s time. She is getting better now, finally kissing him and innocently trying to shove his bottle in his mouth. She is fussier than ever, but I am trying to love her struggles away.
Neriah and Sierra are two years apart and that was much easier than the 14 months that separate Rain and Shaya. We are all hanging in there. I sometimes cannot believe the sight of my family of SIX!
Click below for Brooke’s description of her and David’s daily activity with the youngest kids.
I started walking this week. We have an amazing 4-mile hike through themountains in our neighborhood. David and I decided to do it together three times a week. We put Rain and Shaya in our double stroller and together wework out for 1-½ hours. Much of the walk is uphill, which is so tough,pushing the kids. David does that part.
Once we head up the steepesthill, we can see an amazing view of Malibu’s coastline. On a clear day,I can see across the ocean from Santa Monica, all the way to CatalinaIsland. It is such a peaceful, calming and inspiring walk.
We both aretotally sleep deprived, but the fresh air, challenge, and theaccomplishment is so helpful to us. I know, as a mother that time forus is the first thing to go. I am making myself do this walk even onharder days because I am committed to not losing myself completely onthis journey.
In that hour, I do a lot of thinking, I take my deepestbreaths of the day, and I try to appreciate all the things in my life,both good and bad. We usually walk in silence, which I really enjoy.
When I reach the top of the mountain each time, I feel a sense ofaccomplishment for myself, besides the million other things I do in aday for everyone else. I think that exercise is a great stressreliever, even in your most fatigued state of mind. I will begin doingPilates again as soon as my doctor permits, but for now a simple walk isso great!
Baboosh Baby,Brooke Burke’s new line of post-partum belly wraps, stretch-mark oils,organic t-shirts and recycled diaper bags, is named after the Frenchterm of endearment and is also Rain’s nickname. For more info, checkout BabooshBaby.com.
If you missed CBB’s exclusive chat with Brooke, in which she answered your questions, click here to catch up.
Photo by INFDaily.com
- Posted on Apr 2, 08 at 10:19PM
- Permalink
- 15 Comments
April 2nd, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Love her, she sounds like a great mom and has a beautiful family.
April 2nd, 2008 at 10:27 pm
I forget to add, I love that she is so healthy and fit. I’ve been like that from young, and it really makes a difference and makes you feel good. That’s why she looks great, has always been into fitness before, during, and after pregnancy.
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:08 pm
I agree that walking is the best stress relief ever, and a great way to keep in shap that’s also gentle on your body. She’s a great role model, I think!
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:30 pm
she seems so nice & genuine & i love that part about poor rain trying to adjust i remember that not much fun to go from being the youngest and very spoiled to having a sibling & you lose a lot of the attention especially at that young she seems sweet oh btw does anybody know when shaya is being “debuted” ( it feels so weird saying that about a person! )
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:20 am
Wow, Brooke looks exhausted there!
Good luck to her, it is not easy with four kids, but I know she is very happy with her daughters and now her son!
I hope she takes breaks between the kids and pampers herself as well, because that is important too!
thanks for the pic, Heaven Rain is adorable.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:35 am
thanks for keeping it real brooke!
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:25 am
I think Rain is a much more masc. name than Shaya…
Wonder if he’ll like the name when he grows up?
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:37 am
I saw Brooke on etonline.com, and she said the baby’s name is pronounced shy-a (in case anyone is wondering).
April 3rd, 2008 at 8:45 am
I am so happy for her, she seems so real and genuine. I too have 4 but our hardest adjustment was from 3 to 4 because there was an almost 4 year gap. Our closest in age is 14 months so I know what she is going thru. to me tho the closer in age was easier. We are soooooooooooooooooo very lucky that whenever we had another child we never had any other child not be anything less than thrilled and helpful. Even when we had the 2 that were 14 months apart.
I send great thoughts her way, its rough some days, and I too am AMAZED to look at my family and say “Wow, we are a family of 6?!?!” Who would have thought it…lol
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I sure wish she would have breastfed. I think celebrity mothers really underestimate the effect their choices have on other mothers to be.
Sarah’s note: She IS breastfeeding. She’s just also pumping hence the bottle comment.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Christina…it shouldn’t matter how she chooses to nourish her son whether by breast or bottled formula. I’m certain now she’ll be criticized for “just” pumping instead of bringing baby to breast every five seconds….The Breast Feeding Gestapo actually can have the opposite effect, that of turning mothers off from breast feeding.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Christina – it’s always a good thing to think before you speak. That comment had no place in this discussion.
Brooke seems like such a down-to-earth, classy mother. I don’t know how she does it – four kids?! Two under the age of 2! Wow. Good luck to her!
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Landroverdisco, Sarah’s note says that “She’s just ALSO pumping hence the bottle comment.”
I don’t think there was any reason to call Christina thoughtless. She was simply expressing her opinion and stating a fact. However, Brooke doesn’t seem to be one of those self-absorbed celebrities. She seems quite aware of her impact being in the public eye. And she’s also very into attachment parenting, so I would be surprised if she weren’t breastfeeding.
I do find the fact that you called people who wish to encourage breastfeeding “The Breast Feeding Gestapo” HIGHLY offensive. Imagine if someone compared formula feeding mothers to the people who committed one of the largest genocides in recent history. That is not something most people would take lightly.
April 4th, 2008 at 2:56 am
For some reason, people seem to forget that just because a mother mentions feeding a bottle to her baby doesn’t automatically mean she isn’t breastfeeding. Lots of mothers pump as well. For breastfeeding moms who work, it’s a necessity (unless, that is, the mom happens to have a job where she can bring the baby to work with her). Others do it so that the daddy can have a chance to feed the child.
Anyway, reading about Brooke’s comment about the age gaps makes me think of the Jolie-Pitts. Shortly after Shiloh was born, Angelina mentioned that Z was jealouse of Shiloh. The age difference between the two of them is nearly the same as the one between Rain and Shaya (Z was a little over 16 months old when Shiloh was born). By contrast, Shiloh will be a little over 2 years old when the new baby is born, so the age gap between them will be the same as the age gap between Neriah and Sierra. I wonder, then, if Shi will have an easier time adjusting to being a big sister than Z did?
April 4th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Wow, 4 miles in an hour… that’s a fast walk with two babies in a stroller! I am impressed for sure!
I love walking, too, but sometimes my daughter gets fussy and I have to take her out of the stroller so I always bring my sling, too.