Every October we celebrate my son Aaden’s birthday.

This year he would have been 9 years old.

It’s impossibly difficult for me to imagine him as a 9 year old since he will forever be a chunky little almost-6-week-old baby in my mind.

Celebrating the birthday of a child who no longer lives on earth is as hard as it sounds, but when you’re a mama, you’re a mama forever, no matter if that little one is still with you or not. Celebrating Aaden’s birthday isn’t really a choice; it’s a part of me. He’s a part of me. Forever. Ask any mother and no matter how much time has passed, 1 year, 6 years, 9 years, 20 years — she can probably recall even the most minute detail of the day her baby was born.

So celebrating his birthday isn’t really a question, but more so  “How should we celebrate Aaden’s birthday this year?”

And we celebrate as best as we know how, by doing all the fun little things we imagine a boy his age would want to do — by eating donuts for breakfast and pizza for dinner, going to the movies or the beach or both, eating ice cream and making birthday cakes, and talking about the day he was born.

But my favorite birthday tradition started in October of 2013 when we celebrated Aaden’s 5th birthday with the AadenSage Birthday Project. We decided that the best way to celebrate his life was by sending hope to other parents who were grieving the loss of a baby, by giving them a tangible reminder that their baby was not forgotten and forever loved. And since then every October we send out HUNDREDS of prints to parents grieving the loss of a baby.

If you or someone you know if grieving the loss of a baby and has experienced miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss I would love an opportunity to send a small gift of hope and reminder that their baby is forever loved. Check out all the details and send a gift of hope: The AadenSage Birthday Project . *The AadenSage Birthday Project will close November 15, 2017 and reopen October 1, 2018.