Mon 26 Nov 2007
One Year
Posted by Jane under Updates
[28] Comments
Happy Birthday Ramona,
You have made this year the most exciting of my life. You have taught me to value life. You have shown me how to lean on others and on God.
You are a sweet girl, Ramona. You show love easily, take things as they come and make the best of every situation. You have a beautiful smile and a way of making ordinary things fun. You’re a companion and cohort for Simon. You melt your Papa’s heart.
You made it to one year! You’ve battled through surgeries, colds, withdrawals, feeding tubes and more and you’re still here and still smiling.
I can’t wait to see what this next year will bring for you, sweet Mona Mae. I pray for more healing, for hopes to be fulfilled, for fears to be diminished.
Mommy.
Thanks to everyone who has helped our family get through this first year. For all the late-night vigils, for the meals, the phone calls and the prayers. Thanks to the doctors and therapists who have cared for her and continue to prepare us for the long road ahead. Thanks be to God for protecting her innocence and Simon’s and for keeping Andy and I strong through all of this.
My friends with kids always said that the first birthday is a celebration for the parents and the second birthday celebration is for the child.
I am so happy and thankful that Ramona is one and hope you get time to give yourself a birthday present to acknowledge all that you have gone through this past year.
As always, you have the most beautiful and candid photos of Ramona and Simon. I forgot to say that yesterday
Shannon
Beautiful tribute, Jane.
Miss Mona, YOU GO, GIRL!
Lots of love,
Grammie Sue
Hooray for Ramona! We are so glad you were born, little snookums.
Jame and andy
I am praying this year you have joy and peace in your home and lives. That Ramona continue to amaze us with GODs miracle work. Happy Birthday Mona Mae.
Lots of love and hugs to you all.
Aunt Ro
Happy Birthday, Ramona!!! We celebrate Ramona’s life with you, and ask for God’s blessing and continued provision. With love. Dave & Alisa
Happy Birthday Ramona! Congratulations to Jane and Andy; the first year with any baby is a lot for anyone to take on. You two have the added blessing of having kids less than a year a part so this year of joy and pain and all the other lists of emotions you have been through is much more than the average couple could handle. But you two are much more than average and God knew what he was doing giving such great parents to Simon and Mona. You all rock in my book. Miss you so much and wish I could bake you a cake MM.
Love to you all.
Jen
Happy Birthday sweet Ramona. And to Jane, Andy, Simon and Ramona, I wish for you all a beautiful Christmas season filled with lots of rich memories. Love you and thank you for letting me be on this journey with you all.
Love, Val
Dear Ramona
Happy birthday! Look, I didn’t really FORGET your birthday but as you will discover as you grow older…I kind of misplace people’s birthdays on occasion and then I find them again and I thank God especially for them that day…and sometimes I send chocolate or tee shirts, so there’s that.
It was raining all day here and edging back toward “cold”…you know, that southern cold winter thing I told you about before. It’s cool and then cold for like 5 minutes and then wet. But then when we were coming home from Riley’s violin lesson the sun came out briefly and made the most wonderful impressions on the hills and farmland as we drove home. It was pretty grand…something so simple as the sun coming out after cold and rainy…it was grand.
You are miraculous and wonderful…Ramona Mae…and everyone who you touch is blessed by you. Thanks for coming out and shining in the cold and rainy….you are grand!
love
Miss Ang
Happy Happy Birthday to my sweet little neice! Ramona, I will always love you and cherish you. I’m proud to know you, and I wish I were there to give you lots of birthday hugs and kisses. I’m still thinking of you, all the time, and praying for you too. I love you!
Aunt Bekah
Happy Birthday Ramona! 1 year old! Woo Hoo! And best wishes to all the Deitrichs – how much things can change in just a year. We’re thinking of you over here!
Molly + David
Happy Birthday, Ramona! Yay!!!
Happy Birthday to Ramona! She is such a beautiful girl. I’m happy to share in this milestone with you, I know it’s one you feared you might not get to have. But here she is and would you have believed it if someone had told you how your lives would change a year ago? God is good!
Sweet baby.
beautiful girl.
happy birthday.
sending our love to you from California.
the worth family
Thinking of you, Ramona, somehow always makes me think more intentionally of God and His will and His purpose. Maybe you are what they call a Godsend. Funny, some families might react differently. But this family has seen you with a heightened sense of gratitude, an awareness of the many facets of God’s unending love and the infinite scope of His blessings upon us. Who could have guessed all that you, Ramona, would have brought to all of us in such abundance in just one short year!
My heart is bursting—-Love GrandmaNowicki
Mona Mae,
You’ve been through more in your one year of life than most of us go through in our whole lifetime. Through it all, you’ve been a graceful and courageous little girl, and you’ve taught me so much. Thank you for being YOU…and for letting me be your friend. You are beautiful. Oh, and you have really cool parents, too!
Love, Karen
So, I’m on my way home last night, lamenting the fact that it’s so late and generally crabby from a bad day. Just as I’m pulling up in front of my house, I hear on the radio, “Happy first birthday to Ramona Dietrich! You made it! With love, from Simon, Jane and Andy.” How cool is that!? God kept me in the car just long enough to get that little blessing – one I needed.
Congratulations to the lot of you. As I think back on the first days of Ramona’s life, who would have guessed you’d even have the opportunity to be cranky about missing Thanksgiving dinner! Now, THAT’S something to be thankful for!
Amy (an interested bystander)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mona Mae!
Keep smiling and God bless!
happy first birthday, ramona! may god continue to bless you and your family richly in the years to come.
Happy birthday, Ramona.
xoxo your friends,
Peggy and Leo
Happy 1st Mamo! You look beautiful!
Hey Ramona,
We’re sorry we missed the big day but hope it was awesome. You certainly deserve it after the crazy year you’ve had. Your buddy Seamus is starting to get excited again so I think your Mommy and I need to have a make-up play date to celebrate both your birthdays! xoxoxo
Oh, hooray! What a year it has been. Love and peace to Ramona and to all in your cozy home today.
Happy Birthday Ramona!!!
happy birthday ramona!! congrats to your entire family for alll the love and energy that has goneinto you adn this bolg:) I know that it takes time to keep everyone up to date and to share and we hope that this next year brings more joy and energy to you all! Hope you got to have a taste of cake too:)
Happy Birthday Ramona! We’re so proud of you and your family for all you’ve done this past year. May God bless you all. Lots of love from your friends in New Jersey.
George, Kim, Hana and Aida.
Happy Birthday Ramona!!! You sure are one beautiful part of a beautiful family!
Hey Ms Mona Mae Mae, so Happy Super Duper Belated Birthday! You’ve gotten so big and fun and even though everyone says this about babies, it still amazes me that every-time I see you your doing something new, I think next time I see you you’ll probably be reading Hemingway or something. Anyway, I love you and your amazing not just because you grow so fast, but because you fight so hard. I hope if I ever had the need, I could find that sort of fight in me.
Love Eva
PS, Simon beware, I feel like its been a really long time since I last saw you and next time I see you you wont be able to shake me.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAMONA!!!
Jane, your tribute to Ramona brought tears to my eyes. We are so inspired by the last year of your lives and how much love there is in your family. Thank you for sharing your triumphs, joys and pains with us and humbling us with your honesty and strength. We are always cheering for you guys.