Lauren Burnham Defends Christmas Tree Shopping After Arie's COVID Diagnosis

Lauren Burnham and Arie Luyendyk Jr. took their 18-month-old daughter, Alessi, Christmas tree shopping for the first time — see pics

Moving on. Lauren Burnham defended her and Arie Luendyk Jr.’s decision to pick out a Christmas tree following his battle with the coronavirus.

“1st time Xmas tree shopping,” the Shades of Rose creator, 29, captioned her Sunday, November 29, Instagram Story.

The Virginia native went on to show their 18-month-old daughter, Alessi, smiling at a Christmas tree farm, as well as a direct message from an Instagram follower. “Doesn’t Arie have COVID? Why are you out and about?” the user asked.

Burnham replied, “Arie’s quarantine period is over per CDC guidelines and doctor advice. He even got a negative test before rejoining Alessi and I in the house to make me feel more comfortable even though that’s not necessary according to the CDC. He’s cleared!”

The former Bachelor, 39, revealed on Thursday, November 26, that he had been isolating from his wife and their toddler after he tested positive for COVID-19. “Many of you have been wondering … why we’ve been so absent on social media and why I’m sitting, like, 25 feet away from the girls,” the Bachelorette alum said on his Instagram Story at the time. “It’s because I actually tested positive for COVID, like, nine days ago. Tomorrow I get to go in and see if I’m all clear. It’s been rough, I’ve gotta say. It’s not been easy.”

The former reality star shared the logistics of living “on the other side of the house,” explaining, “Lauren has been really sweet. She’s been keeping me fed. She just slides some food outside and then I go get it.”

He and Burnham celebrated Thanksgiving at opposite ends of a long table. The Netherlands native shared footage of himself waving at the fashion designer and Alessi while eating.

The couple welcomed their daughter in May 2019, four months after their Hawaii wedding. In May, the pair revealed that they had suffered a miscarriage and are now actively trying to conceive again.

While Burnham is “afraid it [won’t] work,” she exclusively told Us Weekly in August: “I think that’s kind of a valid fear if you’ve gone through something like that or just a fear of having to go through it again. So that’s scary, but you can’t really think of all the scary things. You just have to move on.”

Keep scrolling to see her and Luyendyk Jr. picking out the perfect Christmas tree with Alessi.