Hello!  I am Maria Dunlap, wife and mom of 5 crazy babies (literally, babies.  My 4 living are 3 and under!).  The first “real” picture below is pre-Zelie.

This picture is from a couple weeks ago, just after Zelie arrived. If you look closely, there is a bear called “the Vivi Bear”. It’s made out of the few clothes she wore while she was alive–our way to have her in our pictures.

Yes, yes I do.  And it’s because of that story you mentioned.  In 2012, my husband Rod and I were blessed with our first baby, Vivian.  She was prenatally diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), and after her birth, Turner’s Syndrome. We lived at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital during her 59-day life and saw first hand the deep suffering and loneliness families go through while their child fights for his or her life.  We lived in a “love bubble”, but we quickly realized we were the exception to the rule.  When you watch families struggle, thinking about how they will be able to keep their child alive after they go home, or see parents unable to be present when their child dies, you realize the love you received has to be used to do something.  Viv was the catalyst of saying “yes” to our lives’ missions, not just as spouses and parents, but as founders of our non-profit, Vivian’s Victory, which assists families during a hospital stay with a child and during their transition home. I am the Executive Director, (so yes, I do “work”!) and I am really honored to say that our organization has doubled in size since our inception in 2014. It’s a bittersweet need to fill—it will always be growing, but we are growing too.  Allowing families to know they are not alone on the roller coaster is one of the greatest blessings.

Visit us at:

www.viviansvictory.org, www.facebook.com/ViviansVictory

Iris is 3 and, well, is beginning to wear many hats herself–especially after the birth of our daughter Zelie just a few days ago. Fulton is 2, and on a scale of 1-10, he’s a 15. ALL. THE. TIME. And is the sweetest, most loving child.  He makes our life so interesting! Auggie is 13 months and is cool as a cucumber. He goes with the flow unlike anyone I have ever met, is totally content in his own skin. He is a HUGE consolation after 2 so-strong kids! And Zelie, well she is 3 days old today and we are all obsessed with her.

That’s right!  You can get registered here: http://viviansvictory.org/events/

We’d love to have you!

I should preface this with the fact that I had been living in a state of impending doom awaiting the arrival of our newest edition. Feeling overwhelmed didn’t quite seem to fit the bill.  I was putting Iris to bed a few nights before Zelie was born.  As I was walking out the door, Iris says, “When I love more, my heart grows, Mommy”. It stopped me in my tracks—wow! Out of the mouths of babes!

You aren’t the only one who feels overwhelmed, insufficient, a hot mess, whatever—we all do.  Whether we admit it or not, none of us have our stuff together—our best cheerleaders are each other! WE CAN DO THIS! ☺