Shawn Johnson East Is Missing Her "Big Babies" As She Bonds With Her Newborn

Shawn Johnson East is currently living through the most January of Januarys. She and husband Andrew East welcomed their third child, a baby boy they named Bear, back on Dec. 15. Now the family is spending January adjusting to their new lives as a family of five, and the Olympic gymnast is feeling the change. Even as she loves bonding with her newborn, she admitted recently that she’s missing her “big babies,” and it’s the push-pull struggle so many moms will understand after bringing a new baby sibling into the family.

Johnson East first shared the exciting news that she and husband Andrew had welcomed their baby back in their family newsletter in December, writing at the time, “You spend your whole pregnancy wondering how you could possibly love another baby just as much as your first two and then in an instant your heart expands and basically triples in size, it’s incredible. Being a mom is truly my favorite thing.”

Now she has had several weeks to get accustomed to life with baby Bear, and she shared on her Instagram Story on Tuesday that the “most amazing thing about this special small window of time with a newborn is being able to hold, cuddle, nurse, and be with him 24/7. It’s a time like no other that you’ll never get back.” Still, she is missing moments with her older children, 4-year-old daughter Drew and 2-year-old son Jett. “But, the hardest part of this short phase is missing my big kids,” Johnson East wrote, “Daddy is doing the best job in the world showering them with attention and adventures, but this mama misses her big babies.”

Johnson East’s struggle to find time with her older children even as she’s bonding with her new baby is a familiar one, of course. Welcoming a new baby changes the dynamic of the entire family, and it’s natural to feel as though you are being pulled in every direction. Which is why Andrew East’s role as supportive partner and present father is so vital. A fact Johnson East does not take lightly. She touted her husband’s role in their household in an Instagram video earlier this month, noting that the “little things he does” for his family do not go unnoticed.

Hopefully Johnson East knows that things will even out as her newborn baby grows. So just enjoy hunkering down for the month with him.