Out With the Old

We have been very blessed this year. God has been extremely merciful to us, and we are constantly reminded of that every time we look into 4 beautiful little faces. However, we realize the magnitude of our blessings in comparison to our fear, heartache and disappointment.
2008 has been a very challenging year.
The ordeal with Rachel has become a part of our everyday lives, but it didn't start out as that. It started out first, not knowing if she would even live and then, not sure what kind of limitations she would have. We faced the fear of the unknown, the worst kind of fear. Thankfully, her limitations are few. Yes, Rachel's feet don't work and never will (of course, with the advancements of modern technology, you never know). Her Spina Bifida is a lifelong condition and she'll never "get better". But, we are learning to live with this new kind of normal.
My mom has faced a horrendous struggle with cancer for the second time, but she continues to get stronger and better each day.
Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for this year. God has been so gracious to us, yet I have never been more ready to turn the page on the calendar and begin anew. GOOD BYE 2008!!!
Happy new year to you all, and here's to GREAT THINGS in 2009!

Life with a Little Girl

If a little "lipstip" will make me pretty, just think what A LOT will do...

Merry Christmas

History is full of many men who would be god, but only one GOD who would be man.
Merry Christmas!

The Boy's Birthday Party

This past weekend we celebrated Benjamin's 6th birthday with his friends. It was his first "friend's" party and it was so much funHe decorated his own cake with his own Star Wars toys.We had a Deathstar pinata and played "Destroy the Deathstar".And here he is, the birthday boy, in his Jedi shirt. Everyone got one for the party.

A Christmas Greeting

Merry Christmas from the Mischlers!
In lieu of sending out a Christmas letter this year (who has time with four kids??) or Christmas cards (even less of a possibility), I have resorted to the E-Christmas greeting.
Rachel (8 months) is doing very well. She is the sweetest, most content little girl. Physically, everything seems to be working except her ankles and toes. She will be just fine!
Josh (2 yr 10 months) is loving having the two older ones in school. He finally rules the roost for a little bit each day. He loves superheroes and movies.
Rebekah (4 ½ yrs) is in her first year of preschool and loves Miss Chris and Miss Sonna. She is a great helper and very imaginative.
Benjamin (6 yrs) is in Kindergarten this year. He is making friends and having a great time, though he often thinks it’d be more fun to stay home once in a while.
John is still at Lord Corporation and traveling a bit less: he is only out of town about two nights per month. He is helping his dad
on the farm here, too.

I am busy running the kids around. We’ve talked about me eventually going back to work, but I am too busy to think about that now.
We hope that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!
Love, Melanie (for the rest)
www.themischlers.blogspot.com John_Mischler@Lord.com mkuki06@yahoo.com

The Christmas Concert

Yesterday afternoon was Benjamin's Kindergarten Christmas Concert. This is where all of the kindergartners are corralled into the gym and sing to a recording of various holiday songs. It was rather cute.

Some crazy toddler on the top row thought HE was part of the concert and kept singing along, only, not to the song being sung. The little boy, about 2 1/2 years old, sang his OWN rendition during "Jingle Bells". Instead of "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...", the little boy sang "Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg..." (How humiliated his parents must have been!)

And during the song about "Jolly Old St. Nick", the little boy sang (at the top of his lungs) "Santa Claus is Coming To Town". (His poor parents!)

Well, it was a wonderful concert anyway! Benjamin was so cute and happy to see us. We had great seats...in the top row! ;)

A Christmas Carol

My kids know that Christmas is all about Jesus. All of the decorations, all the Santa's, all the presents and other "stuff" is just because it is Jesus' birth. They know that, and we still have Santa and Rudolph and all that other stuff. Some people don't allow all that other "stuff" into their home, saying it detracts from the true meaning of Christmas. True, and that is their opinion, but I want my kids to know that without Jesus, there'd be no Santa, no Frosty, and no 12 Days of Christmas, some people don't even realize it, but when they put up a Santa Claus, they're celebrating Jesus' birth.
Ok, I digress... the point I want to make is, Why are all the fun Christmas songs about Santa, Rudolph and Frosty? What kid wants to sing the morose song "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"? Yes, Away in a Manger is a great song, but have you ever heard how low it is? Joy To the World is a great upbeat song, but kids don't understand "Let earth receive her King" (most adults don't either).
So who knows a great KIDS' song about Jesus and Christmas that's fun to sing?

Christmas Cake Pops

Aren't these the cutest little things ever? They are called Cake Pops and are the EASIEST things to make. I got the idea (and the picture) from Bakerella (the website is on my sidebar).

Make a cake as directed. Let it cool completely (like overnight). When ready, crumble cake in a large bowl, add 1 cannister of frosting. Make into balls. Freeze for at least 1 hour. Insert lollipop sticks. Melt candy discs and cover the cakeball. Place on wax paper and put in fridge to harden.
Decorate as desired (some decorations may be done before the candy is hardened).

Bakerella has many more pictures and ideas for the different holidays. ENJOY!!

A Year Ago, Part 2

Lest you think that I have only remembered the bad news and not the good...

Three days after we received that devastating news that our baby girl would not live, we went to the specalist in Pittsburgh. This is my recollection of that day.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2008
We got up early in the morning to make the trip to Pittsburgh. It was the longest trip of our lives.
Up to this point, we had not named the baby yet. It was just too hard. So we decided on her name: Rachel. (I will write about chosing her name at another time.)
As we drove down, so many thoughts went through my head. We were under the impression that there was little to no brain activity, so I prayed that when we got to Pittsburgh, that she would already be gone...no heartbeat. I didn't want her to suffer and I didn't want to have to assess her viability.
John and I were very aware that God could and does work miracles and we were certainly praying for that, but I didn't let myself think that. We were prepared to deal with the reality of the situation.
There was one point in the trip that I though , "What would it be like to get to Pittsburgh and have the doctor tell us that she would live. How would I react?" Then I censured myself.
I thought, two days ago we were given the worst news of our lives, our hope was lost. And, here on the third day, we don't know what's around the corner, but HOPE certainly isn't it. I wondered if that might be how the followers of Jesus felt after they watched him die and they buried him in a tomb. They had NO IDEA what was just around the corner....and little did we know!
We got to Dr. Giles office in Pittsburgh and got signed in. The receptionist asked why we were there and I thought, "Please don't make me say it...because my daughter is going to die."
The sonogram technician didn't know our situation either and kept pointing out her hands and face and HEARTBEAT. My thought at the time was, "Please stop, you're killing us here."
After her exam, she conferred with the doctor who then showed us into his office. The tension in John and I was so thick...waiting for him to confirm the worst.
He proceeded to tell us that it wasn't what we thought it was initially and that she will have some complications. After about five minutes I stopped him and said,"Wait a minute...do you mean she might live?" (I couldn't bring myself to say the words "die" and "my daughter" in the same sentence.) He said of course she will live, and I broke down and sobbed. If the news we got on Monday was the worst imaginable, this news on Wednesday was the most incredible!
A lot of people have asked me if it was a misdiagnosis or what. I don't know exactly what happened between Monday in Erie and Wednesday in Pittsburgh, but I KNOW that God intervened on our behalf.
When John and I got married, he had a verse he really wanted to be part of our ceremony, to convey our belief about our marriage:
"I know that whatever God does endures forever. Nothing can be added to it, nothing can be taken from it. God has done this so that all would stand in awe before him." (Ecc. 3:14)
This has become our declaration with Rachel: God has done this. I want you to stand with open mouthed AWE at what God has done.

And this is the email I sent out:

OK folks I hope you're sitting down....GOD HAS PERFORMED A MIRACLE!!! There is no other explanation for it.

We got to Pitts this morning thinking the WORST. The sonographer did her work, pointing out Rachel's (that's what we've named her) hands and face. We're thinking to ourselves "You're killing us." When she was done she left the room to get the dr. He took us to his office and started to explain that it's not what we thought it was. Rachel has Spinal Biffida (failure of the spine to close during the first few weeks). That was causing the swelling on her brain (which is not outside of the "normal" parameters). The opening is so low (the lower the better), the only problems she may face are with walking or bowel functions....and she may not. As the dr is telling me this, I stopped him and said, "Wait a minute, does this mean that she'll live??". He said, "oh yes, oh yes!" The condition is not life threatening.

I will carry her to about term (36-37 weeks instead of 40), having regular appointments in Pittsburgh. I will need to be delivered in Pitts where she'll go immediately to Children's Hospital where they may need to insert shunts in her brain (if the fluid is still on there) and there will be surgery needed to correct the opening.. We still have some concerns. Her ability to walk may be affected and there may be fluid on the brain. But the God who can bring back the dead can certainly handle those issues.

I am amazed at the way God has intervened on our behalf. I am telling you the truth - each time the Dr looked at her, the opening got smaller and lower on the sonogram!! We are confident that God alone has done this work. On the way down this morning, we were planning her funeral and talking about burial, now, we have our daughter back, and I want everyone to know that it is God who has done this.

We are also overwhelmed by the various displays of love and support we have received. We know that so many of you were praying for us...it's so powerful. THANK YOU!!!! Again, mere words cannot express our heartfelt gratitude for what you have done. We couldn't have gone it alone.

Now, we are exhausted. OK, do the offers of food and childcare from so many of you still stand? Sleeping peacefully tonight, Melanie and John

A Year Ago

I did not write about this on the actual date, I don't even know the actual date, though I know it is the Monday after Thanksgiving.
It was a year ago, that day, that the midwife walked into the exam room with a plastered smile on her face and asked me if I had any problems or questions for her. I asked her about the sonogram I had just had. It was then that she closed the door and said, "It's not good. It's very bad" and the world as we knew it changed forever.
It is still very hard for me to remember and relive that day. So, you see why it's not something I want to commemorate.
Thankfully for us and by the amazing mercy and grace of God, the entire outcome was different than what we were originally told. (In case you aren't following me here, I am talking about the day we got the diagnosis that our unborn daughter Rachel would not live.)

Here is my recollection of that day.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2007
We were scheduled for a routine sonogram to find out the baby's gender. I really wanted to know this time, but John didn't, so I joked that he wasn't invited to the sono. In fact, he thought he had a meeting that morning and might not make it. I was not even expecting him to be there.
My mom was able to come babysit the other kids, otherwise I would have taken them with me, which I had every appointment up to that one.
On my way into the doctors, I had a list of things to do after, not having the kids with me. One of my errands was to drop off my library books. I had a little bit of extra time and went back and forth as to whether to drop them off. I thought, "I should drop them off now, because I won't want to when I get the bad news..." I had no idea where that idea came from.
John did show up for our appointment. We were taken back for the sono and at first, everything appeared great. The technician checked out the heart and tummy, and then she got really quiet and kept looking at something. I asked her a few questions, but she seemed distracted. At one point she asked me if I had had any of the genetic testing offered to me. Because I was over 35 this pregnancy, I was offered a number of genetic tests. John and I discussed this and decided against any special testing, thinking, "The possibility of a problem because I am this 'magic age' is so remote."
When the sono technician handed the video tape back to me, her hands were shaking so badly, she couldn't put it back in the case. I knew something was up.
She sent us back out to the waiting room to wait for our doctor appointment. I said to John that something was wrong. I just knew it. At that time, I saw the technician run from one side of the building to the other, where the doctor's offices were.
After a short time we were called back to a room and the routine things were done, blood pressure, weight.
I have always seen the midwives at the practice and had an appointment with one of my favorite, who has been with me through every pregnancy since Benjamin.
She came in and asked if we had any questions for her. I said yes, about the sonogram. She said she had some information about that and that it was bad, very bad. She said that the baby girl was not developing properly, that she had hydrocephelus and a sacral teratoma. Basically, her brain and spinal cord were not developing properly and that her condition was not compatible with life. She would not be able to survive outside of the womb, and that we needed to consider termination.
John and I were completely shocked. My first reaction was not anger or denial, it was "Help me God." She said that they were sending me to a genetic specialist in Pittsburgh immediately. In fact, another nurse was calling right then for an appointment.
A lot of it is still a blur, but I remember Peggy telling me that there was no hope, but maybe God... And I remember as she was telling me this, the nurse was standing behind her shaking her head no. I had the greatest (the only time) urge to slap the nurse across the face and say to her, "You don't know what God can do."
John was supposed to go back to work and I was to run our errands, but plans got changed. I drove home in shock. John had something he had to do and then he came home.
I really don't remember much about the rest of that day, except moving from room to room not sure what to do.
I did call Benjamin's teacher who graciously prayed with me on the phone. I called my closest friend from high school. I called my closest friend from college who had just had her baby girl a few days earlier.
And then we tried to sleep, but it would not come. I wanted to send out an email. I felt that I needed as many people praying for this baby as possible, so I think that night is when we sent out our first letter.

This is the first email I sent out.
As many of you know, we are expecting baby #4 in April. We learned some devastating news yesterday. The baby girl is not developing properly, her brain. The dr's said that it is a condition "not compatable with life", meaning, I'm not even sure what. They are immediately sending us to a specialist in Pittsburgh (Wed morning appt) for further testing.

We desperately need your prayers. The dr's gave us little to no hope, but I know that God is able to do miraculous things, and that's really what we need now. We need people to pray for this little girl. Please ask God to work a miracle.

We really need your prayers too. Who knows what kind of choices we might need to make.
We are very confident and secure in God's love and working in this whole situtation, but continue to remember us., PLEASE! Melanie

The TRUE Christmas Story??

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. The angel appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were terrified...
And three Jedi came from the East, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Qui-Gon Jinn, to fight the evil Darth Maul...

The one ;)

I often look at my kids and try to see who they will be...both physically and in personality.
I think I have figured out which "one" is going to give me a run for my money. I hope that my four year old is going through a phase. I honestly can't remember if the oldest was like this or not, but I think that child #2 is going to be the one to put me over the edge when she's a teen.
Here's a little example of what I deal with everyday.
She is potty-trained, but every once in a while she has accidents. Well, we've tried every trick in the book to help her. I think that what happens is that she gets too involved in something and then waits too long to go and has an accident.
Well, yesterday we asked her several times if she had to go. No, no, no...
I was at the computer and my husband was at the dining room table doing work when the kid ran past to go upstairs (where the only bathroom is). As she climbed the stairs my husband asked her what was on her pants, why they were wet. She said, "Well...there's just water on my pants. Somebody spilled water on my pants." (Code for, "I had an accident" without taking the responsibility.)

Another time she asked me, "Is my toy in the other room or did a bear eat it?" I laughed and told her a bear ate it. She cried and cried. Wrong answer mom!

She will tell me over and over, "Give my sister a kiss." and when I finally do, she'll say to me, "Why you kissing my sister?"

I've already told you about how she tries to get out of nap/rest time: "God doesn't want us to sleep during the day. He wants us to sleep at night."

I am finding a lot more grays in my hair, and I have an idea where they are coming from!

What the Mischlers Do For Fun!

...we take markers and draw on our kids' faces.

(meow...)