THE LITTLE BOY THAT COULD

Holden could communicate half a dozen words in sign language by 11 months of age.
He could speak well over 250 words before he turned two.
He could identify musical instruments by their sound.
He could paint watercolor rainbows.
He could light up a room with a simple "Hi!"
His enthusiastic spirit, genuine friendliness and willingness to give freely was bigger than life itself.
He could sing.

Some of Holden's favorite things:

Trains.
A park en route to the hospital has a wonderful train ride for kids. We often took him on the train after hospital stays or clinic appointments. As soon as we got within a quarter mile of the park he would say, "I ride train? I ride train?" It got to the point where, if we didn't have the time for a train ride, we had to circumnavigate a different way home. A children's learning center has been developed at the park in Holden's name.

Caillou.
Holden's big brother and role model was a charming cartoon character on PBS. He learned so many things about friends, fears, fire trucks, and chinese rice.

Laa-laa.
The cute yellow Teletubby was Holden's constant and trusted friend. Always the guinea pig, Laa-Laa would be the victim of all new procedures (especially when it came to otoscopes). "First Laa-laa try."

Music.
He started very early. While we were at a live concert when I was pregnant, Holden would kick my tummy to the beat.More recently, on rainy days, Holden and I would sing Rain, rain go away. Come again another day. "Rain, rain go away. Holden Kai wants to play". Thinking only a child could appreciate my inability to carry a tune, I sang with confidence; I was wrong. Before we would finish, Holden would turn to me and say, "No sing Mommy. No sing." At the age of two, he was already a voice critic. If he liked the song, Holden would dance and wave his arms like a conductor. He loved everything from electronica to world music. Music was a very important part of his life, a gift passed down from his daddy.