NEED TO KNOW
- Teddi Mellencamp is wondering if it’s time to stop calling her youngest daughter Dove “baby” now that she’s 5
- The mom of three shares daughters Slate, 12, and Dove, 5, as well as son Cruz, 10, with her ex Edwin Arroyave
- The reality star’s post comes just a few months after she was diagnosed with multiple brain tumors
Teddi Mellencamp‘s baby is growing up so fast.
On Thursday, May 8, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 43, shared a cozy photo on Instagram of her and her youngest daughter, Dove, cuddling.
“Now that Dove is 5, is it time to stop calling her baby Dove? Nah, I didn’t think so. 💕🕊️,” the mom of three captioned the photo, which showcases Dove with her eyes closed, giving her mom a peck on the cheek, while Mellencamp looks directly at the camera, showing off her shaved head, styled eyebrows, white T-shirt and silver chain.
Teddi Mellencamp/Instagram
Mellencamp shares three children — Slate, 12, Cruz, 10, and Dove — with estranged husband Edwin Arroyave, whom she filed for divorce from in November 2024 after 13 years of marriage.
Shortly after announcing their split, Mellencamp thanked Arroyave for opening her eyes to motherhood.
“I would never have known I wanted kids until meeting my amazing stepdaughter, Isabella,” she wrote in an Instagram post, referencing Arroyave’s daughter from a previous relationship. “My love for her changed my life and 5 years later came Slate, then Cruz, and then our miracle baby Dove in 2020.”
Mellencamp added, “I may be far from perfect but being a mother has been the greatest gift you could have given me.”
Teddi Mellencamp/Instagram
Just two months later, the podcast host announced that she had been diagnosed with brain tumors.
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“For the last several weeks I’ve been dealing with severe and debilitating headaches,” she wrote in a Feb. 12 Instagram post. “Yesterday the pain was unbearable and required hospitalization. After a CT scan and MRI, doctors found multiple tumors on my brain, which they believe have been growing for at least 6 months.”
“Two of the tumors will be surgically removed today. The remaining smaller tumors will be dealt with via radiation at a later date,” she continued. “I am blessed to be surrounded by my children, family, friends, doctors, nurses and surgeons who are doing everything possible to get me back into better health.”