Heavy/Getty Val Chmerkovskiy and Jenna Johnson star on "Dancing with the Stars"
“Dancing with the Stars” professional dancers Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy welcomed their first child, Rome, in January. The “DWTS” entertainers have shared quite a few updates on their son since his arrival, and Johnson provided a lengthy update in a recent social media post. What is Rome doing these days?
Here’s what you need to know:
Jenna Johnson Celebrated Rome’s 5-Month Birthday
On June 13, Johnson shared an Instagram post that included a slew of photos of Rome highlighting his 5-month birthday. In her caption, the “Dancing with the Stars” dancer questioned, “Where has the time gone? And how do I bottle up every second of it??” She also shared a handful of new things Rome had started doing during the previous month. Johnson noted her son is “full of personality,” adding that he often smiles, laughs, and flirts. It seems he is already becoming somewhat independent, holding his bottle on his own and standing rather than sitting whenever he can. He also is frequently “sticking everything in his mouth,” as babies so often do at his age.
Johnson admitted she is not sure yet whether Rome is going to have red hair or brunette, and she explained he is “an old soul and as chill as can be… until he’s hungry.” The photos featured Rome wearing a “Binky Bro” baseball cap and a striped outfit as she tried to take his pictures on a white and blue checkered blanket with a “5 Months” sign on it. The “Dancing with the Stars” dancer, and it appeared her husband at times as well, held Rome to support him as he sat and stood throughout the casual photo session. Johnson snuck in some kisses and held her baby up in the air as she marveled over him.
Johnson’s Post Received a Lot of DWTS Love
Johnson’s 5-month birthday tribute to Rome received a lot of love from “Dancing with the Stars” fans and colleagues. More than 76,000 “likes” piled up on the post, along with over 760 comments. Fellow “DWTS” pro and new mom Peta Murgatroyd said Rome was “soooo yummy!” Johnson’s brother-in-law, and Murgatroyd’s husband, commented, “‘lil man!!!” and comments also came in from Carrie Ann Inaba, Daniella Karagach, Koko Iwasaki, Melissa Gilbert, Amanda Kloots, and Derek Hough’s fiancee Hayley Erbert.
Another note read, “He looks like Val with your eyes! Big Boy!!! He will be carrying you soon!”
Someone else joked, “How can he be 5 months old and got a better hat game than me?”
Several commenters suggested that Rome looks just like his mom, and at least one person suggested he will be a redhead, given how the sunlight hit his current locks. There was not a unanimous consensus on Rome looking like Johnson, though, as some others admitted they thought he looked just like Chmerkovskiy.
Some fans noticed the thin red string Rome wears around one of his ankles and questioned the meaning of it. As entertainer Tamera Mowry detailed on her blog several years ago, the string has ties to the Jewish faith, Hinduism, Christianity, and a number of other cultures and faiths. Mowry’s grandmother started the tradition in her family, praying over the red yarn as she “blesses it with good fortune.” Mowry added that for her family, “the belief goes that when it falls off great things will happen.” It appears Chmerkovskiy and Johnson are following a similar tradition for Rome.
The clear consensus on Johnson’s post was that “Dancing with the Stars” fans think Rome is absolutely adorable, even if they cannot necessarily agree whether he looks most like his mother or his father.