No kids allowed...

Marvin and I are leaving tonight for Washington D.C. We are very excited to go and celebrate Marvin's birthday there with our best friends, Brandy and Dave (who will be joining us from Columbus, OH). It will be our first trip away from all 4 kids....Hooray! Thanks to Vovo for helping make this possible, as she will be busy with the kids:-)

1 Year Pediatrican Appt.

Today, my mom and I took the babies for their 12 month appt. Everyone continues to be healthy and very happy! Here are the updated weight/length on the babies (I guess they are not babies anymore, they're considered toddlers...yikes)

Carter weighs 22 pounds, 31 inches long

Chloe weighs 19 pounds 6.5 ounces, 29 1/4 inches long

Cooper weighs 22 pounds 5 ounces, 30 1/4 inches long

Happy 1st Birthday!!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Carter!

Happy 1st Birthday Chloe!

Happy 1st Birthday Cooper!

The 3 enjoyed cupcakes for breakfast this morning so we could all celebrate this special day together. The boys ate it all up and Chloe played with it like it was paint! Enjoy the pictures!!!

Love,

The Snyders

Cooper is walking...well sort of...he took 4 steps today on his own....hooray! We won't have to be chasing him down tomorrow, but I'm sure that will be coming very soon.

Carter is now pulling himself up to a standing position too. So, he is doing his best to catch up to Chloe and Cooper:-)

Chloe had her post op appt this week and her scar is healing beautifully. She gets her "beauty treatment" as Marvin calls it, which is vitamin E capsules rubbed on her scar twice a day and of course she loves it!!! She was the first to say "mama" today...it just melted my heart!

Can you believe it...our babies are going to be 1 in one week!!! Oh how time flies!

Big news everyone....

Carter is finally crawling and sitting up on his own....Hooray! He has found new freedom in all of his mobility and is truly enjoying it. Cooper is furniture walking and will stand for a few seconds on his own. Chloe continues to crawl all over and of course prefers to be held:-)

Jackson has been studying the letter C this week and asked me to bring Carter in to his class for show and tell for the letter C. My mom and I took all 3 babies in and he introduced the 3 babies to his class and they discussed what letter their name started with....the letter C. Jackson of course was so proud to be their big brother and introduce them to everyone:-)

Triplets are 11 months old!!!

Can you believe it, the triplets are 11 months old today! Wow, time flies when you're having fun. All is well in the Snyder Family. I will add more pictures soon.

Chloe's special day!

Well, today was the day for Chloe's much anticipated surgery. Marvin, Chloe, and I made the very early morning trip to Florida Hospital South. Chloe was bright eyed and all smiles from 5-7 am and then slept until they took her into surgery at 7:20. She was done in about an hour and I was able to go hold her in the PACU. It was quite comical to see how goofy she was acting because of the morphine she received. She was still pretty groggy when we went home and it took her most of the afternoon to get back to her usual self. Her left cheek repair involved 3 layers of stitching and because the wound aligned so nicely, Dr. Steig did not have to put an outside layer over her wound and used steri strips (which I feel will be easier to control her and her brothers from messing with the wound).

We just wanted to send a special thanks to Oma for taking care of our babies the past 2 weeks for us while Vovo was in Brazil. Vovo has returned and it's her birthday today - she's 63!!! Thanks for helping us on a regular basis but especially today, we definitely needed it! I will update the blog later with pictures, but we're pretty tired, so just planning on going to bed! Thank you for all the well wishes and prayers, we truly appreciate it!

Denise

Ortiz & Snyder Triplets!

This past Thursday, we went to Marina's house for a playdate. We have a lot in common...including triplets! Her three, Ariana, Logan, and Raquel are absolutely adorable and were born about 5 weeks after ours. We had a great time over at her house playing with all new toys. We took a little adventure out to her beautiful backyard for a group photo...enjoy!

Some other exciting news....Chloe and Cooper are now sitting up on their own and crawling (more or less), they start to crawl and often resort to scooting to get where they want to go. I'm afraid Cooper has become quite the bully, if he is eyeing something Chloe is playing with, he will crawl over, pull her hair and laugh/smile, all the while little Clo is screaming! Carter doesn't seem to mind his little brother as a bully and he just continues to laugh and smile as Cooper crawls over him. At this point, Carter has no interest of crawling, but we are working with his therapist to help him catch up with the rest of the gang.

Triplets are 9 months old!!!

Can you believe it....the triplets are 9 months old today!!! They had their 9 month old appt today. I took our babysitter Tori with us (thank goodness I didn't do this alone) because I would have been so stressed out. Here come the stats from the office visit....drum roll please....

Carter weighs 20 lbs. 3 oz.

Chloe weighs 17 lbs. 3 oz.

Cooper weighs 19 lbs. 8 oz.

Everyone is doing great and growing strong!!! I added pictures of the babies at 9 months old!

I also added a picture of Jackson and his daddy taking him golfing, he was so excited!

Happy Independence Day!

We hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend full of family, fun, and fireworks! By the way, Jackson hates fireworks, so last night was lots of fun. This past Saturday we made the trip to downtown Winter Garden for the Bike Parade. Jackson was so excited to be in the parade this year. The past 2 years we sat on the sidewalk and cheered others on, but now that he's a Big Boy he was going to be in the parade. My mom (Vovo) came with us for an extra set of hands and to enjoy the HOT Florida Sunshine during our walk. The babies enjoyed the walk too, so much so that they all fell asleep during the 15 minute stroller ride:-) I added pictures of us at the parade and be sure to check out the photo of Jackson on his decorated bike....so cool!

Great weekend!

I would like to give a "shout out" to our good friend Wendy for helping us out this past weekend. She came over from Tampa on Friday evening and stayed through Sunday afternoon. She gave up a weekend with her family to be a part of ours which is I find so humbling and generous. I have to share with everyone how amazing she is with the babies and she just jumps right in and starts helping out! I took some great pictures of Wendy and the triplets....enjoy!

Summer Fun!

A lot has happened over the last week in the Snyder household. The triplets are 8 months old now....and I am truly amazed at how much they have grown. They each have their individual personalities which makes it so much fun!

Marvin's family came to visit from Ohio for the week....Jackson had a blast playing with his cousins and going to Disney and Sea World. We all made the trip to Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort for dinner. We were visited by Goofy, Pluto, Mickey, Minnie, and Donald - the kids loved it...and so did the adults! Thanks Oma & Opa for a great week! I added a photo from our Chef Mickey expedition:-)

Marvin and I celebrated our 9th anniversary this past week too....I feel so lucky to have him in my life each and everyday! And of course, we celebrated Father's Day on Sunday. I added a picture of Marvin and the kids...enjoy!

Denise

We're sick...

Well it's official...all 4 kids have a cold! We should have bought stock in Kleenex:-) Even though everyone has a cold, they are still smiling.

Happy Birthday Jackson!

Can you believe it, Jackson is 4 years old today. He is sitting with me while we update our family blog. I am just amazed at how big he has gotten. And of course everyone knows he is a wonderful big brother to Carter, Chloe, and Cooper.

We are so proud of you and the big boy you have become. We wish you many more wonderful birthdays!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

First tooth....third times a charm!

Carter finally has his first tooth! Hooray!!!

Triplets are 7 months old!!!

I just uploaded pictures of the triplets at 7 months of age. They are so much fun...hope you enjoy them!

I also added pictures of our day trip to Miami with Chloe. On our way back to Orlando we stopped to visit with Marvin's Uncle Tip and Aunt Judy.

We were fortunate to have a visit from Will (Marvin's former Bishop Ready High School student) and his girlfriend Tiffany. Don't they look so cute with all those kids:-) Jackson had a great time playing with them - thanks for making him feel special.

First tooth....again!

Cooper now has his first tooth:-)

First Tooth!

Chloe has a tooth....hooray! No wonder she was so fussy last week:-)

6 month checkup!

Today my mom and I took the babies for their 6 month well baby checkup (although they are almost 7 months old). All the babies are doing great and growing ahead of schedule. Dr. Gordon (our wonderful pediatrician) compares our preemie babies to regular 6 month babies which helps put it all into perspective. Our 3 babies are matching up quite well and based on their weight, height, and head circumference you would never know they were born premature!

Carter weighs 17 lbs 6 oz (50%), height 26" (40%)

Chloe weighs 14 lbs 14 oz (25%), height 25 5/8 (45%)

Cooper weighs 17 lbs 7 oz (50%), height 26 3/4 (70%)

*percentages are percentile on growth chart for their age*

Carter, Chloe, and Cooper are all reaching their necessary milestones for their age which is great too! He calls the next 3-4 months the honeymoon phase because our babies are happy, playful, but don't move anywhere. I know our life is going to change big time when they can crawl and walk away...Yikes!

Our pediatrician started his own parenting information website, which I think is wonderful. He said we could share with anyone and everyone. www.gregorygordonmd.com Check it out!

Denise

Trip to Miami

Yesterday was the much anticipated trip to see Dr. Schachner at the University of Miami. He is a leading pediatric dermatologist in the country. We had been waiting since January to see him for a consultation on the "birth mark" on Chloe's cheek. Denise, Chloe, and I left for Miami in the morning and made some excellent time on the way to Miami. We even had time to stop for a nice lunch at a place on the beach in Delray Beach for lunch... Boston's...it had an upstairs patio with an amazing view of the ocean. Chloe loved the fresh air and the all the sounds of the road and ocean below...oh and the food was really good too.

I am not rally sure what we expected from the appointment, but I feel we left with more questions than answers. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing though. The doctor and his team of residents were very good (Miami is a teaching and research facility). The doctor believes that the diagnosis is what we had been told before...a subaceous nevous...or collection of sweat glands on the face. These normally form on the scalp or hairline. He was surprised that neither of the doctors here in Orlando performed a biopsy to confirm. He had the resident perform the biopsy...and Chloe was so very brave...and I am so thankful Denise was there to help. Denise is so much stronger than I in dealing with blood and procedures of this nature. We should know in 2-3 weeks what the results are. Dr. Schachner did though recommend surgery (if confirmed of diagnosis) at age 4-5. The doctor here in town thought the procedure could be done at 8-18 months. Anyhow, we will wait for the results before making a decision...and then we will ask many more questions.

On the drive home (after getting lost in Overton), we stopped for a short visit with my Uncle Tip and his wife Judy up in Boca Raton. It was a nice stop for Chloe to get out of the carseat and have her evening bottle. It was also nice for Denise and I to catch up with family. Finally, we settled in at the house by 9:30pm. What a long day...but a nice one to spend with my wife and daughter.

Triplets are 6 months old!!!

We hope you enjoy the photos from Easter weekend and the Baptism of the triplets.

Happy Baptism!

Today, we had a joyous gathering of our friends and family to celebrate the Baptism of Carter, Chloe, and Cooper. Special thanks goes out to their Godparents, we are so lucky to be surrounded by such a loving and supportive family.

Godparents of Carter Fischer - Monica & Joe Baile

Godparents of Chloe Piquet - Kristie & Vicki Snyder

Godparents of Cooper Lewis - Christina & Mario Diaz

Following the Baptism we had a wonderful lunch at Yellow Dog Eats. It was such a relaxing afternoon with friends and family. Pictures are soon to follow...

Love,

The Snyders

Great Helpers!!!

Hello everyone,

Our family was very fortunate to have 2 great ladies come to visit last week. Annie & Sue (my mom's friends) came to visit my mom and help with the babies upon me returning to work. It was wonderful having them here, as they helped feed, bathe, clean, and cook for us and the babies! Special thanks to Annie for all the great meals, they are delicious...I could only wish to open my freezer in the future and have so many meals to pick from! Thanks Sue for helping out with the babies, and making each one of them feel extra special. And of course, Jackson continues to talk about Mrs. Sue - and thanks for making him feel special too! The best part for me was seeing how happy my mom was to have her friends here and to share this "multiple" experience with them. Again, words cannot express how wonderful and helpful it was to have both Annie & Sue here.

I was also fortunate to have a visit from our favorite NICU nurse, Kathleen. She came to see the babies for the first time since they were discharged from the hospital. Jackson and each baby received an Easter basket full of goodies! Jackson was so excited to get an early Easter basket! We look forward to many more visits from Kathleen in the near future.

Denise

Updated Weights...

We have completed our season of RSV shots...hooray! Marvin and I took the babies yesterday to get their last shots from the pulmonologist. It was a nice little outing with the babies:-) Of course, my favorite part is getting their weights....drum roll please....

Carter weighs 14 pounds 6 oz

Chloe weighs 12 pounds 6 oz

Cooper weighs 15 pounds (Holy Moly - he's big)

I am very excited as I just purchased a new Nikon digital camera....and I plan on taking a lot more pictures...so stay tuned!!!

Denise

Wonderful Surprise

This past Friday my wonderful husband surprised me with a visit from my BFF Brandy (she is pictured below) from Ohio. Picture this....I was stressing because I was feeding three babies and working on getting Jackson ready for bed. Of course, Marvin was late coming home from work as usual so I was getting frustrated to say the least, and as I am getting ready to be annoyed with Marvin for being late....in walks Brandy! Right after that, Marvin lets in 2 babysitters to watch all the kids so we could go out for Tacos and Margaritas...I really needed that after a busy afternoon with the kids.

On Saturday we went to Downtown Disney and Jackson had a blast with Brandy. She was able to see firsthand how some people treat us like a freak show. People stare and make comments....and people try and look at the babies despite us covering them up. People should get a hint, if the stroller shade is pulled in front of a baby, it means I don't want you to look or touch my babies!!! Okay, enough about that. We raced in the evening to get the kids ready for bed, so as soon as Marvin got home from work, Brandy and I went out on the town. First we went for Sushi, then to the outlet mall (very depressing as nothing fits), and then we went to an Irish Pub. It reminded me of the good old times of partying in Ohio. We were very sad to see Brandy leave on Sunday, we had a great time and we will definitely have to do it again.

Coming up this week, GOMOTT, the Greater Orlando Mothers of Twins and Triplets has their annual spring party. My mom and I are planning on taking Jackson and the triplets for the Easter Egg Hunt, should be FUN.

On a side note, some may wonder why I don't have more pictures of Jackson and the triplets together....and that's because he HATES taking pictures with them. The only picture I could get of him this last month was sitting next to them watching T.V. (see above) I will keep trying though!

Denise

Our big babies...

I was fortunate to take the triplets to their pulmonary appointment this week with the help of Oma (Marvin's mom) and Aunt Anne. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders to know that we had one person per baby for the appointment. I was under the impression this would be their last shot for RSV, however we will be returning next month for one more round. I enjoy these appointments as we are able to see how much the babies have grown....

Carter weighs 12 pounds 11 oz, 23 1/2 inches long

Chloe weighs 10 pounds 12 oz, 22 inches long

Cooper weighs 13 pounds 8 oz, 22 inches long

After our pulmonary appointment, we made a side trip to Winnie Palmer Hospital. We visited the NICU and saw Dr. Brown who helped our babies in the hospital. Then, we visited the 5th floor (where I was on bedrest) and visited the nurses who cared for me. The nurses were so excited to see how well everyone was doing.

The plan for the future includes returning to work at the end of March. I am excited to begin working, but I have thoroughly enjoyed watching our babies grow up before our eyes.

Denise

Happy Valentine's Day

The triplets are 4 months old today!!! We have been enjoying a visit from Oma Kathy this past week, Jackson has had a blast with her and needless to say she has been very helpful with the babies. Jackson started swim lessons last week and is about to graduate from survival swimming in the next few days....Hooray! The triplets continue to do great...growing like little weeds:-) Chloe has seen a pediatric plastic surgeon who recommends surgical removal of her facial birthmark, however we are seeking a second opinion at the University of Miami in a few months. I am adding a few pictures of the babies and Jackson, we hope you enjoy them.

Love,

The Snyders

The Snyder Triplets are 3 months old!!!

Wow...as I have said before, time flies when you're having fun! Carter, Chloe and Cooper are doing great and growing on schedule.

I recently took Chloe to the dermatologist for the birthmark on her left cheek. It is called a sebaceous nevus, which doesn't become problematic until after puberty when it has an increased risk of skin cancer in that region. It was suggested that we see a pediatric plastic surgeon, so we are scheduled for the end of January to see what the game plan is.

Other things on our to do list....

We are hoping to schedule time with a photographer for them to have some professional pictures taken soon.

We are also on the hunt for a new school for Jackson for Pre-K 4, however we are waiting until I know what I will be doing in regards to my work schedule.

The onesies (pictured above) have their names on them with est. 2009....thanks Renee for the adorable onesies!!!