there's a first for everything

literally ... everything that Holden does these days is a first for him (and us, I suppose): his first smile, his first laugh, his first trip out, the first time he fits into a 0-3 month-sized outfit, the first time he sleeps more than 6 hours straight, etc. It's definitely one of the perks of being a new parent, but it all goes so fast. Holden's growing up quickly now, and some of the small "firsts" are passing us by quickly, so I thought I'd try to keep track of some more on our blog. Here's some recent additions to that category in Holden's life:

1) Holden's First Shopping Trip
Before Christmas, we brought Holden out for one of his most American experiences yet: shopping. We took the long trek down to the South County Old Navy to see if they had some clothes that Santa might get Holden for Christmas, including a cute Holiday outfit. Holden enjoyed strolling around the store, and slept most of the time we were there.

2) Holden's First Christmas
Even though Holden really had no idea what was going on during Christmas Eve and Christmas, he had fun. I think he mostly just liked having all his grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins around showering him with attention. He got lots of great new clothes and toys from Santa, and most importantly, he got a Bob stroller (yay!). While we tried to resist dressing Holden up in holiday attire, it was to no avail. On Christmas Eve, Holden wore his little "JOY" fleece outfit, and on Christmas Day he wore a Santa's Little Helper outfit (on loan from his cousin Joey, who was likely made to wear it last Christmas when he was a couple months old). Here's the video of Holden as Santa's Little Helper (a great video that can be used later in his life for blackmail):



3) Holden's First Visit to the Art Museum
After Christmas, we decided to take Holden over to the Saint Louis Art Museum for his first trip to see art. Yes, he slept pretty much the whole time, but it's a start. Eventually he'll enjoy looking at the Ellsworth Kelly's and Mark Rothko's and the Chuck Close, but daddy's not going to pressure him to like art (... oh, who am I kidding, of course I will). I expect I'll learn a lot about art by watching Holden respond to paintings and sculptures -- I always feel that adults have a lot to learn from children about appreciating art.