Ben Higgins and Jessica Clarke's journey towards parenthood is in full swing. With their baby shower behind them and the nursery all set, they are now looking forward to the next chapter in their lives.

A Love Story Amidst the Joy of Parenthood

Relationship During Pregnancy

At 35, Ben Higgins spoke exclusively to PEOPLE at his baby shower on December 5. He praised his 29-year-old wife Jessica for working hard to keep their relationship healthy during her pregnancy. "It's credit to my wife [and] her energy levels," he said. "Even though she's tired, she still fights to keep our relationship healthy and fresh." Higgins shared that their relationship hasn't changed significantly since finding out about the pregnancy. They still go to the movies and plan date nights.

The Finished Nursery

Higgins revealed that their nursery is completely finished. He knew he might panic if he waited too long, so he got his mom to help and then Jessica finished it with him. "The crib's set up, the chairs in there," he said. "As soon as I found out my wife was pregnant, I started working on it because I knew I'd start to freak out a little bit towards the end and I want to have that done before I started to have panic attacks. So it's done now."

Nighttime Routine

The couple has a sweet nighttime routine. Every night, Jessica pulls her shirt up and Higgins lays his head on her belly and talks to the baby girl inside. Their dog Waylon also lays his head on her belly or near it every night. "It's the craziest, coolest thing because he's never been that dog. He's never been a cuddly dog. And he literally just rolls up and gets so close and so sweet to her," Higgins said.

Upcoming Holiday Plans

The pair is set to go to Breakers resort in Palm Springs for a babymoon and then head to Florida to spend Christmas with their families. "Our babymoon and this Florida trip I think will be kind of the icing on the cake before we chill out and we really nest," Higgins said. "And we're really going to nest. We're going to hang out at our house for weeks before the baby's born, and I'm excited for that period of time."