Shaun T Shouts Out His Twins' Surrogate and Her 'Selflessness' on Father's Day: 'We Love You'
Shaun T and Scott Blokker may have been the ones at the center of Father's Day on Sunday in their home, but they have a very special message for an important person who helped make their dream of becoming dads a reality.
In a Sunday TikTok video cross-posted to his Instagram account, the celebrity fitness expert revealed that he and husband Blokker "struggled for 5 years to have kids" before "an angel" — namely, Ashley Chasteen — "found us" and became their surrogate.
Photos and videos in the touching montage showed Chasteen at different points in her pregnancy and helping the couple surprise their parents with the news. Set to "Surrender" by Natalie Taylor, the footage went on to show the moment Sander Vaughn and Silas Rhys, now 2½, were born, and Chasteen bonding with them over the time since.
"But if it weren’t for her, being able to celebrate Father's Day may have never happened! 🥺," Shaun T, 42, wrote in the caption. "@ashchasteen_ thank you for the most beautiful gifts the world could ever ask for and for making it possible for us to be Dada and Papa. 🥰 We celebrate this very special day each year reliving our journey and admiring your selflessness. We love you and your family so much. ♥️"
Shaun T/Instagram. Inset: Mark Sagliocco/FilmMagic Ashley Chasteen with Shaun T's sons
The father of two went on to wish a "HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all Father’s and a special shoutout to all the LGBTQ+ 🏳️🌈 Dads out there. 👨👨👦👦," ending with hashatgs including, "#surrogate, "#dadlife" and "#pridemonth."
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A post shared by Shaun T (@shaunt) on Jun 21, 2020 at 9:47am PDT
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The couple welcomed their first children on Nov. 17, 2017, at 32 weeks and five days gestation. After their graduation from the NICU, Shaun T shared a pair of snapshots of Ashley's family meeting Sander and Silas.
"First I wanna say, ITS UNBELIEVABLE how one person can completely change the course of your life!! Ashley is that person for us," he wrote. "We've had many people help us along this journey and when Ashley offered to carry our children, many of those same people rallied behind her to give her the love, support and encouragement to help bring our two boys into the world."
"With that said, before going home we had one last VERY IMPORTANT thing to do. Have Ashley's kids meet the babies that they've seen grow over the course of 32 weeks and 5 days. The excitement they had when touching and kissing the babies for the first time was unbelievable and unimaginable," Shaun T continued.
"Ashley, her husband Michael and their children are such selfless people and no words can describe our appreciation for them helping us build our family! So here's to you Ashley!" he added. "You are courageous, strong, empowered, driven, powerful, dedicated, and such an amazing human! SO THANK YOU for being everything we needed and more. #FamilyForever#FriendsForever #ForeverConnected."
Shaun T/Instagram Shaun T (L) and Scott Blokker with their twin sons and surrogate, Ashley
RELATED VIDEO: Shaun T Welcomes Twin Sons
Shaun T Welcomes Twin Sons
The newest #FitFam members have arrived!
Shaun T also hasn't been shy about sending sweet messages to those who have helped him and Blokker, whom he married in 2012, navigate fatherhood.
In August 2018, the T Is for Transformation author used Instagram to express his gratitude for his twin sons' babysitter, sharing a photo of her reading a book to a then-9-month-old Sander and Silas.
"IT TAKES A VILLAGE! We couldn't do this alone!!" he captioned the sweet tribute. "@candicesrowley is one of our extraordinary babysitters and I'll tell you this — when you have twins, you own a business and you travel like a mad person, YOU NEED HELP!"
"Oh, and it's a good [reason] to have help if you want your marriage to work too 🤣," Shaun T added candidly. "Don't be afraid to ask for help because we all need help sometimes! ❤️❤️"