Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham Reveal Meaning Behind Daughter’s Unusual Name

Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham are loving their new lives so far as parents of their first child, Alessi Ren Luyendyk.

The former Bachelor and his wife have kept fans up to date on their first days with the little baby girl, since her birth on May 29.

“The first few nights were obviously rough,” the Luyendyks opened up to PEOPLE this week. “We are learning, but it has been really exciting. We aren’t really getting any sleep — probably because we can’t stop staring at her.”

“I am obviously really glad the pregnancy part is over and so happy to finally have her,” Burnham added. “She is the sweetest thing in the world and I can’t stop staring at her.”

The couple, who met and fell in love during the 2018 season of The Bachelor, welcomed baby Alessi last week and announced her birth on social media.

“We have a BEAUTIFUL baby girl 6 lbs, 13 oz. 20cm long. Mommy and baby are doing great, we are so incredibly happy,” Luyendyk wrote on Instagram.

A day later, they revealed their daughter’s unique name in Burnham’s Instagram, adding: “She is sweet, calm and [Arie Luyendyk Jr.] and I could not be more in love with her.”

Burnham revealed to the outlet that they decided on the special name back in December.

“I was obsessed with finding a name right away,” she said. “I think it was on Christmas Day when we decided. I was looking online at girl names once we found out the gender. I found Alessia and loved it and Arie said, ‘What if we dropped the A from the end?’ And we both knew that was it.”

“The name means possessing a charming, easy going nature, which endears her to others… a serious desire to understand heart and mind of everyone,” she continued.

“The middle name is a nod to Lauren’s name,” Luyendyk Jr. added. “Just like I’m named after my dad, Alessi is named after Lauren.”

After the family returned home, the couple revealed things have settled down, and they have been loving getting to know their adorable baby girl.

“We have had a lot of family over,” Burnham told the magazine. “Everyone wants to meet her. But we are getting into the swing of things now, getting into a groove.”

“She has a ton of hair and her eyes are kind of changing color to a dark blue,” Luyendyk Jr. said. “The dogs have been very curious, so we’re trying to get them used to having her here.”

Reliving the moment of Alessi’s birth, Luyendyk Jr. revealed the best moment from being at Burnham’s bedside was seeing the baby for the first time.

“I had to keep it together because Lauren was still pushing and working to get her out,” he said. “Hearing her first cry was very emotional for us. The first thing I noticed was that her nail beds are the same as my hands. A very emotional moment thinking this baby is obviously half of each of us. It’s just really special.”

“They pulled her out and put her on my chest right away and that just took my breath away,” Burnham revealed. “It was wild seeing her face for the first time.”