Val Chmerkovskiy Calls Fatherhood the "Best Hood" He's Ever Been To: "It's a Lot of Fun"

Val Chmerkovskiy can't get enough of fatherhood!

"It's the best hood I've been to," the Dancing with the Stars pro, 37, told PEOPLE on Saturday at a gala dinner honoring the late Steve Irwin. "It's been a lot of fun!"

Chmerkovskiy and his wife, fellow DWTS pro Jenna Johnson, welcomed their first baby, son Rome, on Jan. 10.

"Obviously the greatest responsibility I've ever felt. It's just been really fulfilling," he said at the event, held at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. "Love to see him smile and grow and really seeing my wife become a mom. All of that has been really, really fruitful for us."

When asked if their view on life itself has changed since becoming parents, Johnson, 29, told PEOPLE, "Just the word 'present' or being present has really shifted."

"I feel like I am so much more accomplished throughout my day having a kid, and it's because I wanna spend as much time possible with him," she explained.

"And so I feel like I'm really present. I'm really focused, but I get a lot more done because I want to just spend every waking second with him."

With Mother's Day just around the corner, Johnson revealed how she wants to spend the holiday as a new mom. "I just wanna spend the day with my sweet husband and my yummy little boy, and I'll be the happiest mom in the world," she said.

Chmerkovskiy spoke to PEOPLE earlier this month about parenthood and how it's changed his and Johnson's relationship.

"Every day I see my wife as the mother that she is to our son has been the most beautiful I've ever seen her, and the most attracted I've ever been to her. So, it's been very special," said Chmerkovskiy.

He added: "It's our first child and it's been an incredible challenge, but it's been just wonderful and rewarding. It's brought my wife and I even closer together and it's just a blessing. It's a beautiful thing."