He’s almost here! Bachelor Nation stars Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon revealed the name of baby No. 1 before her February due date, and they’ve had the moniker picked out for a while, the couple exclusively tells Life & Style.
“Our first baby’s name is going to be Dawson Demitri — that is our little boy’s name,” Jared, 33, dishes after the Bachelor in Paradise alums appeared on Amazon Live to show their favorite baby products on Tuesday, January 16.
Sweetly enough, Jared explains that the unique name has been in Ashley’s back pocket for quite some time. “Dawson is named after Jack Dawson from Titanic. It’s Ashley’s favorite movie of all time,” he says. “She told me when we were first together that she loved the name Dawson. It’s always been Dawson.”
Ashley, 33, notes that their baby’s first name was an easy choice. “13 years of me being set on Dawson and him being down for it — there were no other contenders,” the “Almost Famous” podcast host adds.
As far as the middle name, the duo admits it was also a relatively quick decision. “The middle name, Demitri, is the only thing we had planned, right?” Ashley says before mentioning they also briefly considered Rhodes in honor of Jared’s “beloved” home state of Rhode Island. “Then, I said, ‘We both love the name, Demitri and Dawson and Demitri sounds way better than Dawson Rhodes. So, let’s go with that.”
Ashley has been hunkering down in Virginia as her due date approaches so she can give birth at the hospital her father works at as an anesthesiologist. However, Jared has stayed back in Rhode Island to tend to their new coffee and cocktail lounge, Audrey’s, which they opened in December.
“It was definitely not a tough decision,” Ashley admits about her choice to give birth in Virginia. “However, we didn’t think we would be in the situation that we are now with Jared being at Audrey’s 24/7 and him having to stay back. Because when I got pregnant, it was before we even signed the lease for the coffee shop.”
The soon-to-be mama “imagined” that Jared would be able to stay at her parents’ house with her, but that hasn’t been the reality. That being said, he’ll be hustling across the country to make sure he doesn’t miss a moment.
“Jared should definitely be here the week of the due date, starting February 3rd,” she notes. “If he can’t, then he’s only an hour flight away.”
For Jared’s part, he admits it’s hard feeling “distant” from his wife and their unborn baby. “We really are best friends, and I rely on Ashley a lot. I really do rely on Ashley a lot,” he says. “And I think just being there for the last couple weeks before parents, I wish we could spend a little bit more quality time together. I think that’s the biggest thing I regret.”