Heavy/Getty Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy.
Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy celebrated their baby boy’s first birthday.
On January 10, 2024, the “Dancing With the Stars” couple marked their son Rome’s milestone day with an adorable photoshoot that included a first taste of birthday cake.
Val and Jenna are currently on the “Dancing With the Stars” Live Tour, where they will perform from January 11 to February 4. Ahead of opening night, they paid tribute to their blue-eyed birthday boy with separate social media posts.
Val & Jenna Posted Sweet Messages to Rome
In a slideshow posted to Instagram, Jenna shared photos of her son wearing a 1st birthday crown as he sat smiling on a gold, velvet chair. Other pics showed Rome laughing after pulling off one of his shoes. In another, he looked with interest at a vanilla-frosted birthday cake with one candle in it. More photos featured Rome digging into his very first birthday cake with icing all over his face and fingers as he did the customary cake smash.
Jenna captioned the slideshow to describe her son as “the sweetest soul I’ve ever known.” “I am torn with emotions on this beautiful day of celebration,” the DWTS pro dancer wrote. “A full year of knowing you, loving you, and learning from you. Yet how have 365 magical days gone by of you being my tiny (huge) baby that I’ll never get back? Time is truly the greatest gift and I’ll cherish every minute I get with you my sweet love.”
Jenna also thanked Rome for making her a mother and said “It’s been a dream come true” to watch him “grow into the most observant and joyful boy.” “ I love you with every fiber of my being!” she wrote.
Val also shared pics from the photoshoot and included one of him posing alongside his son as well as a video from the day Rome was born. “Our boy is ONE! 👑,” the proud papa captioned the post. “By far the best thing that’s ever happened to me, no close seconds. I’ve wished for you on my birthday years before I was even ready to have a child. After you were born I don’t think I’ve ever felt so grateful to be alive. You are all the purpose I was searching for. All I want to do with my life is be a good dad to you. From the moment I first held you I thought, ‘I have everything I need.’”
Jenna & Val Documented Rome’s 1st Year on Their Social Media Pages
Fans have watched Rome grow up over the past year thanks to frequent updates from his doting DWTS parents. In addition to his birth announcement last January, the couple shared monthly updates throughout 2023. WhenRome turned 4 months old, Jenna posted a photo with some fun facts about her boy. “He loves smiling and laughing. Truly the happiest baby,” she wrote. “He LOVES music of any kind, … He definitely takes after his mom & dad and could snuggle all day 🥰 I’m so grateful for this smooshy baby of mine and can’t believe I get to be his mama.”
When Rome turned five months old, Jenna shared that he loves “smiling, flirting, and laughing,” and said he preferred to hold his bottle himself. “Still trying to figure out if he’s a brunette or a redhead,” she added. “He is an old soul and as chill as can be… until he’s hungry.”
More recently, the baby boy celebrated his first Christmas in Utah with his whole family – including his Chmerkovskiy cousins, Shai and Rio, the children of his Uncle Maksim and Aunt Peta. In addition, he had a visit with Santa Claus that didn’t pan out so well—until his mama held him a safe distance from the Christmas character.
READ NEXT: DWTS Alum Thanks Ex For Unexpected Press