Well, a week from today and Jaden turns 1!!! How amazing and wonderful that God has given us Jaden for this 1st year. We hope that God has some huge plans for Jaden and keeps him around for many, many more birthdays.

We are going to celebrate his birthday as a family and we are also doing a special project for him. It will be written below. We will then have a combined birthday party for him and Ethan when the weather is nice. Ethan's birthday is around Christmas time so he does not ever get a birthday party that includes friends so we have chosen to do it with Jaden's.

This letter below is what quite a few of us have been sending out to different people around the world. This is the project that we are working on for Jaden and hope this turns out to be an inspirational thing for all who are touched by it. Please participate in sending a letter to Jaden or putting a bottle in the ocean if you feel lead to do so..........

**We are celebrating the life of our baby boy who was born with a congenital heart disease called Hypo-Plastic Left Heart Syndrome. He will be turning one year old April 4, 2007. We want to honor him with something very special and have decided to do it by also by encouraging others to become more aware of the heart diseases that affect millions.

We are asking that anyone who lives by the ocean write a letter (sample below) in Jaden's honor, put it in a bottle, seal it and throw it into the ocean. We are asking that those who find the bottle write a letter or post on the blog something special such as; an encouraging thought, a prayer, poem or an experience they have had with heart disease. We will take these letters and/or posts on the blog and make a special album. This album will honor Jaden and all others who have gone through what babies/children with heart disease's have to face each day.

This will be an exciting thing to see how many people respond, how they respond and where they respond from. Thank you to all who are participating. We also will encourage not only those who find the bottles to send letters or to post on the blog, but also those who come across this as well to send something.

Sample Letter To Put In A Bottle...

"Jaden Austin Gonzalez. Baby boy born April 4, 2006 with a congenital heart disease called Hypo-Plastic Left Heart Syndrome. This heart disease is where only one half of your heart has been developed. This disease requires a minimum of 3 open heart surgeries to take place within the first 4 years of your life. At some point, people who have this heart disease will require a heart transplant. Jaden has been through so much already as he has already had his first 2 surgeries, 2 heart catherizations and has had a stent put in.

He is turning one in just a few days. We are celebrating his life thus far and are outreaching to those across the world. We are hoping this letter finds you and helps encourage you to become more aware of the heart disease's that are affecting our babies daily.

Our family is asking you to send a letter with a special poem, words or encouragement, a prayer or experience you have encountered with heart disease to our baby Jaden. We will compile all of the letters we receive in a special album which will honor Jaden and all of the other babies affected by these diseases. Most of all we will honor God as He is the one who made it possible for Jaden to be alive on his 1st birthday.

The address to send this letter to is:
Stephanie Gonzalez
PO Box 24
Sauk Rapids, MN 56379-0024

You can also go to the blog and post something there as well:
gonzalezsheart.blogspot.com

Thank you for being a part of our journey.
The Gonzalez Family" **