Tales of the Kingdom

Thomas Reads!

2011-03-27T23:08:00.003-04:00

Today Thomas decided to give his loyal subjects a rest from reading and instead decided to read one of his favorite books himself! Take a look to see how he did...

Thomas' Third Birthday!

2011-02-02T22:23:00.012-05:00

Sorry for the LONG hiatus in posts! Here are some pictures from Thomas' 3rd birthday party!

Opening presents from Grandma Bebe and Grandpa Knothead:

It's a truck!! My favorite thing!!

A cake fit for a pirate king!

Thar he blows!

On Sunday Mommy and Daddy took me to see the Amazing Nano Brothers Juggling Show at the Museum of Science!

I am ONE BILLION NANOMETERS tall! :)

In the optical illusions gallery. Looking at the spinning black-and-white disks (I called them my "patterns") was my favorite thing - I didn't want to leave!

Inside a replica of an Apollo space shuttle!

Summertime Fun!

2010-08-19T23:24:00.024-04:00

Lots of updates to report!
Sorry we've been so remiss . . .
we've been trying to soak up the summer sun as much as possible
before the inevitable arrival of autumn!

Here are Babbo and I flying a kite at Robbins Farm Park:

I am trying to learn the trick of rolling down the hill;
I think it is pretty funny when Babbo does it!

Mesmerized by the kite and the beautiful blue sky!!

From the sky to the earth; now I find a fascinating dandelion.

When I up, down, touch the ground, on the seesaw!

Preparing to slide!

Running the bases with Mommy!

Coming in for the game-winning run!!

What would summer be without a thunderstorm?
And we know what thunderstorms leave behind:
Puddles!!

This is at Old Bethpage Village on Long Island.
I didn't care so much about the historical stuff, but the dandelions really amazed me.

And, so did the old-fashioned candy sticks.

Now I'm playing with bubbles and Nonna and Nonno's house!

Bubbles go: swish, swish, swish!

And then I chase after them!

Now I'm at Drumlin Farm, a Mass Audubon Society nature reservation.

The hayride at the farm was my favorite part!

And finally, in July we went blueberry picking.
Here I am showing off some skin.

Come on, Mommy, hurry up!
I've got the bucket; let's go!!

Proudly displaying my blueberries!

Yes, believe me, I know how adorable I am.

Please support the Queen Mommy!

2010-04-06T11:54:00.002-04:00

Visit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's The Overnight Walk website to learn how!

Enjoying the onset of spring in the kingdom

2010-03-20T22:05:00.014-04:00

We've had some glorious weather recently,
and Mommy and Daddy have made sure the sunshine hasn't gone to waste!
Here are some of our most recent adventures!

Mommy put together my newest addition to the transportation fleet -
my two-seater wagon - so here I am reclining with a refreshing beverage.

An artsy shot by Mommy of me at the playground:

Another milk break!

One of my favorite activities is rolling my big truck downhill to watch it tumble!
Here we go!

Let's go fly a kite, up to the highest height,
Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring!

Down the big slide with Mommy. . .

. . . and then again with Daddy!

It was the first sighting of the ice cream man for the season,
so of course I had to get a pop.

Digging in the sand!

And now a tantalizing preview of pictures to come in the future:

Here I am with Curious George. . .

. . . and here I am at a sculpture garden!

More to come soon!!

Entering the Third Year of Our Reign!

2010-01-28T23:11:00.010-05:00

The Birthday King is TWO!

With two of my most loyal subjects, Amy (aka Mimi). . .

. . . and Cheryl (aka Rah-Ro)!

The Royal Babbo provides assistance in the opening of presents:

Candles and noisemakers!

Getting ready to blow!

Let's prepare to dig in, shall we?

Hooray for cake!

The Acton Children's Discovery Museum

2010-01-24T22:53:00.010-05:00

Last Friday I went to the Acton Children's Discovery Museum.
It was like they designed the place with me in mind!

First, I sounded the bell for the train. . .

. . . then I splashed around and blew bubbles in the water room. . .

. . . then I drew and erased on a floor-to-ceiling chalkboard
(how can I get Mom and Dad to install one of those in our apartment?). . .

. . . then I dropped balls in tubes and watched them spin around. . .

. . . then I dropped balls on tracks and watched them make music!

I was definitely a happy camper!

Now every morning at breakfast I look at Mommy hopefully and say:

"Mu-ee-um? Balls? Water? Twain?"
only to have her reply with a laugh,
"Maybe another day soon, honey!"

Christmas 2009!

2010-01-24T22:33:00.008-05:00

Christmas Eve:

Helping Uncle Mark with the technical details. . .

Okay, people, let's get this show on the road!
Where are my presents?

Watching intently as Mommy and Daddy unpackage a gift for me.

Christmas Morning:

Dancing around the room, looking for my gifts!

Letting Daddy help me out a bit with that pesky plastic packaging. . .

Watching Lady have her Christmas dinner!

It's Apple-Picking Season!

2009-10-18T14:26:00.008-04:00

Well, summer is officially over, but autumn does bring some fun things. . .
like apple-picking!

We headed off to the Royal Apple Orchard
(aka Smolak Farms in North Andover)
to pick some Macs and Cortlands
and to find a good jack-o'-lantern pumpkin.

Peekaboo behind the apple tree!

Mommy guiding me through the apple orchard.
Notice how, when I'm not in the hiking backpack,
Daddy makes sure the diaper bag is.

The King triumphantly holds his prize - a beautiful, ripe red apple!

Do you think I can get the whole apple in my mouth in one bite?

Trying to show the Queen Mommy how to pick the best pumpkins.

The Royal Babbo and I in the pumpkin patch!

Maybe this pumpkin would make a good throne. . .

What will the King grow up to be?

2009-10-10T23:58:00.005-04:00

. . . a future Ringo Starr?. . .

. . . or a future Cy Young Award winner?. . .

. . . or maybe just a professional puddle hopper?. . .

. . . only time will tell!

The King tries his hand. . .

2009-09-21T08:57:00.002-04:00

. . . at creating fine art.

All of this without any art lessons, folks!

This will be worth money some day!

I scream, you scream. . .

2009-09-20T22:37:00.002-04:00

. . . we all scream for ice cream!

Summertime Adventures. . .

2009-08-28T01:23:00.013-04:00

On my Uncle Mark's motorcycle. . .

(Mommy always knew he'd be a bad influence on me!)

At the Bronx Zoo. . .

. . . and of course I must always be attended
by at least two of my subjects -
one for each hand!

Here I am test-driving a camel as a potential
addition to the royal transportation system.

The royal family on the monorail!

Here I am plotting how to steal the carousel and bring it home. . .

At Long Beach. . .

It's always ourselves we find in the sea!

At White Post Farms. . .

On a ride with a good old friend, Tigger!

Chillin' with Mommy, watching the fish.

Feeding the goats!

More to come soon!!

Our little puddle hopping king!

2009-06-24T21:50:00.002-04:00

At least someone is enjoying the wet weather we've been having!
(That would be me, il re Tomassino!)

A Day in the Country

2009-06-06T22:42:00.014-04:00

Today Mommy, Daddy and I took an excursion
through Arlington's Great Meadow,
a large wetland with lots of wildlife and hiking trails.
Here are some pictures to document our journey!

We started out at Brigham's, where I happily enjoyed
my milk and a hot dog as an appetizer. . .

Now I am eagerly awaiting the main course:
ICE CREAM!

Next we went to a farmer's market
across the street from the Great Meadow.
I thought the flowers were really pretty!
I wanted to pick one for my mommy,
but she wouldn't let me.

This was the beginning of the hiking trail.
The water was all covered
with strange green ooze!

A pretty tree. . .

Mommy guiding me safely through the tall grass

I am excited to get on our way!

The sign that leads into the forest. . .

. . . and the path that leads through the woods.

Taking a little break on the gravel!

"What's that, Mommy?"

Hello everyone!

A pretty purple flower

Me and Daddy, heading out to explore.

This little fellow came out of the swamp
to say hello, and to get warm in the sun.

He's coming in for the layup!

A Walking King!

2009-06-03T21:20:00.003-04:00

Ignore that bit at the end where I fall down. . .

. . . I meant to do that!

I'm baaaaack!

2009-05-19T21:51:00.007-04:00

Sorry for the long delay in posting, everyone!
It seems my royal subjects here in the palace
have been slacking off a bit.
But, I am back!

Here I am combing my hair in preparation for the first royal haircut!
My mommy was trying to do it for me,
but she wasn't doing it right.

Here is my Nonno with the clippers.
You can see how much I trust his abilities.

A new car! Along with my train and my horse,
the royal transportation system is complete.

One of my first times on a swing.

Babbo says he wants me to play baseball eventually,
but for now soccer is my game.

Lookin' hip.

Down the slide in the playspace at Burlington Mall!

Mommy's coming! Run away, folks, run away!

A Royal Birthday Feast!

2009-02-17T01:07:00.008-05:00

On January 28, 2009, I turned ONE YEAR OLD!
Mommy and Daddy got me a Pooh cake to celebrate,
and I really loved my first taste of chocolate!

Royal Exploits

2009-01-22T02:05:00.012-05:00

Now that I am older and wiser (and more mobile),
the Queen Mommy and the Royal Babbo have been
taking me out to playspaces all around the kingdom!

The two pictures below are of me at Together in Motion,
a great indoor play gym in the very heart of my kingdom.
I got to meet and play with a lot of other babies,
but I especially enjoyed crawling through the tunnels!

Here I am in the Children's Room at Robbins Library,
searching for just the right book. . .

Now I'm at the Natick Mall, enjoying an Auntie Anne's pretzel
(in honor of my Nonna). . .

and playing in the kids' room!
Here I practice my wall-scaling abilities,
which I am sure will come in handy in the future:

But I must say I enjoyed the slide very much!

The girls are invading! Abandon ship!

Finally, here I am directing Daddy on how to fix the garbage disposal.
He was a bit lost and confused,
but luckily I was there to guide him through.

Can you all believe that in a week I'll be a whole year old??
Phew. . . what an exhausting - but exciting! - first year of my reign this has been!
I can't wait to see what next year holds in store.

A Royal Christmas and a Kingly New Year!

2009-01-03T23:39:00.011-05:00

The year 2008 has come and gone here in the Kingdom,

and many goings-on have been reported.

The King and his loyal subjects were quite busy preparing

for Christmas and New Year's,

and, though they were slowed down a bit

by the whopping 25 inches of snow in December,

they came through successfully!

Here are some pictures to catalogue our exploits:

The King and the Queen Mommy in front of the Christmas tree!

Does the King approve of the tree?

We think so!

Studiously examining one of his Christmas presents. . .

And lounging inside of his new toybox - thanks, Nonno!

The King and the Royal Babbo.

The Queen Mommy's two favorite men!

Psst! Check out my blocks!

The King is pleased.

Interesting contraption, this singing cookie jar/shape sorter. . .

Royal hands!

Out to brunch. . . I've got my eye on that Nonno and Nonna. . .

My new favorite activity: flicking my toys with my hand!

In which. . .

2008-11-30T18:51:00.007-05:00

. . . the King visits Lake Lanier to view the Christmas lights. . .

. . . hangs out in the backyard with Grandpa and Uncle Terry. . .

(and with Mommy too. . .)

. . . and gets the Royal Spa Treatment!

The King gives thanks. . .

2008-11-27T17:44:00.006-05:00

. . . for Daddy and Mommy. . .

. . . and for pretty girls to flirt with (namely my new friend Ahna). . .

. . . and for grandpas with big strong arms!

Broadcasting from Atlanta. . .

2008-11-25T21:41:00.003-05:00

Here is a video of Mommy and me
playing our rendition of the classic song,
"The Itsy Bitsy Spider."

Before you know it, I'll be playing Chopin!

In which. . .

2008-11-17T22:48:00.006-05:00

. . . the King cheers on Notre Dame,

dresses up for Mass,
and stands up on the sofa all on his own!

GO IRISH!!! BEAT NAVY!!!

(They needed all the help they could get, didn't they?)

Thanks, Grandpa, for the cap!

Boy, I sure am cute!

My new favorite activity:
standing at the window and observing the world outside my castle.

The King tours his kingdom. . .

2008-11-02T20:11:00.003-05:00

. . . on his new noble steed (courtesy of Grandma Stanley). . .

. . . and on his lovely new train (courtesy of Nonna and Nonno)!

Thank you, royal grandparents!!

(And thank you, Aunt Staci, for the Thomas outfit!)

The most wonderful thing about Tiggers. . .

2008-10-31T23:14:00.004-04:00

. . . is that the King dressed up as one!

Happy Halloween, everyone!

It's fall!!

2008-10-27T15:15:00.008-04:00

Below are me and Mommy in New Haven, where we went for a visit!

Below are me and Daddy in the dining room.

I'm giving my best little polite smile.

Here I am pontificating about the glories of prunes and oatmeal.

Yum!!

I've got lots of very earnest things to say lately.

Too bad no one seems to understand me yet!

Kingly Stats

2008-09-26T22:26:00.003-04:00

Currently, I am 30 inches tall (98th percentile, and almost exactly half of Mommy's height),

I weigh 21.6 pounds (87th percentile),

and I have a head circumference of 46 centimeters (99th percentile).

How do YOU measure up? :)

The Last Hurrah of Summer in the Kingdom

2008-09-06T20:45:00.009-04:00

Well, summer is over now, and Mommy is back at school,
but for the two weeks before she went back we tried to have a lot of fun
with Daddy and Nonna and Nonno!

Here I am coyly looking at the camera while nibbling on my rings.
People keep asking me if I've fallen down because of the bruises on my chin and neck,
but really I'm just having my port wine stain treated with lasers.
Hopefully it will go away soon!

Here I am outside the New England Aquarium.
Mommy told me there were penguins and sharks inside,
so I was pretty excited!

Here are me, Nonna, Nonno and Mommy outside the Aquarium!
Aren't we cute?

I'm gazing at the penguins with great fascination!

How do I measure up to a hammerhead?
Not very well, but I'm not done growing yet!

This picture was taken right before Jojo tried to frighten me
by holding me up close to a sting ray.
I wasn't really scared though - I was just pretending,
to keep them on their toes!

Finally, here I am in the park behind the library in Arlington!
It was a nice cool evening, but we could only spend about five minutes there
because Daddy got eaten up by the mosquitos.
They must have known that I was the king, though,
because they didn't touch me!

The King gives commands to his subjects

2008-08-10T14:18:00.003-04:00

The King speaks, and we all listen!

The King meets John Adams

2008-07-27T21:01:00.007-04:00

Today Mommy, Daddy and I went to Quincy and saw the birthplace of John Adams.

We also walked around the boardwalk along the beach!

Here are Daddy and me standing next to a statue of President Adams himself:

Here is the house that John Adams grew up in;
it's almost as famous as my house in Arlington!

Here's the house he and his wife lived in after they were married.

Mommy's feeding me on the boardwalk.
It was a nice try to fill me up,
but it didn't stop me from trying to steal her ice cream later on!
She claims I'm too young to have any,
but I think she just wanted to keep it all to herself!

Daddy and I are hanging out on the boardwalk now.
I was determined not to smile, but Mommy jumped up and down in front of me
and made such a fool of herself that I couldn't help it!

Now Mommy's got me in the Baby Bjorn, and it was Daddy's turn to act silly!

We were about to head over to the beach proper,
where I could make my official introduction to the Atlantic Ocean,
but it started to rain. Oh well; we'll have to save that for another day!

The King makes a public appearance. . .

2008-07-19T21:30:00.007-04:00

. . . at his dear friend Colette's naming ceremony!

Here I am with Mommy, Colette's mommy, and the lady of the day herself!

Me and mommy!
Aren't I a handsome little boy with my Pooh overalls?

Happiness is:
being shirtless,
getting a bacio from mommy,
grabbing a handful of her hair,
and having a thumb in my mouth.

Practicing my tripod sit!

Is Mommy losing hair because of a low serum ferritin level,
or because I keep eating it?
The world will never know. . .

The King and his very loyal subjects!

2008-07-13T21:13:00.006-04:00

Here are some pictures of me and my Grandparents Stanley!

Me and Grandpa:

Grandma, Grandpa and me:

Out for a stroll!
Me and Daddy, Mommy, and Grandma

The King is pleased!

Another busy weekend for the King!

2008-07-13T13:38:00.004-04:00

This past weekend my Grandma and Grandpa Stanley came to visit from Atlanta!
They took lots of pictures of me this weekend;
I thought I'd share some with you, just in case you'd forgotten how cute I am.

The king after a nice big meal, relaxing on Mommy's shoulder:

Playgroup graduation!
Here are Mommy and me; Kathy and her baby girl Beth;
Melanie and her baby girl Colette; and Chris and her baby boy Will!
We are all enjoying our Rody horses very much!

Happy tummy time!

The king standing tall in his Exersaucer!
Look at my regal thighs!

The Royal Babbo's Parents Pay Tribute to the King. . .

2008-07-08T11:07:00.004-04:00

. . . with this lovely new Exersaucer!

I haven't gotten it entirely figured out yet, but I'll get there!
Thanks, Nonna and Nonno!

Still, though, my favorite game consists of
(1) wearing nothing but a diaper
and
(2) flying in Babbo's arms

The King eats, plays, and celebrates the Fourth!

2008-07-07T20:51:00.005-04:00

The king's royal menu has recently changed -
rice cereal has been added!

Here I am taking a tentative bite:

Now I'm getting the hang of it!

It's a messy business, but someone's gotta do it.

Unlike mealtime, however, playtime is very serious business
here in the kingdom.

And here I am celebrating my first Fourth of July in style.
I of course had to inaugurate my special holiday outfit
by slobbering all over it!

The King at play

2008-07-02T16:36:00.002-04:00

Lately I've been making new friends and adding subjects to my kingdom!

Here are two lovely young ladies who fell victim to my royal charm:
Beth (in pink, already trying to seduce me by revealing her belly)
and Colette (who is coyly trying to act uninterested in me - but we all know the truth).

Here I look skeptically at Colette's hand reaching towards me -
a bit forward, aren't we? -
while Beth tries to stop her.
Fighting over me already! What's a handsome king to do?

Sightings of the King

2008-06-15T15:53:00.009-04:00

It's been a while since I've let myself be photographed.

I'm keeping a low profile lately! But here are some recent sightings:

That mommy of mine is C-R-A-Z-Y!

Caught with my shirt off!

Me in my new crown,
with Ned (the horse) and Ziggy Pop (the zebra)!

Are you people nuts?

Okay, fine, I'll smile again!

The King Visits Long Island!

2008-05-06T13:15:00.007-04:00

Right after my baptism, I got the chance for the first time
to visit another part of my kingdom - Long Island!
I saw the house my daddy grew up in,
and I got to meet my Great-Grandma Aida!

This is me hanging out in the backyard of my daddy's house.
The weather was really lovely!

Here are mommy and me taking a tour of the yard.
Note how my head is almost as big as mommy's already.
95 percentile, baby!

I really liked the weeping cherry tree in the front of daddy's house.

Four generations of Celanos -
Great-Grandma Aida, Grandpa Jojo, Daddy, and me!

Publicity smile for my friends!

The King is coronated!

2008-04-20T20:52:00.016-04:00

Okay, so I suppose the technical term is baptized,

but the priest did say I was anointed with Christ
as priest, prophet, and king!

Here I am getting dressed in my gown!

"I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. . ."

"May Christ anoint you with the Chrism of Salvation. . ."

"Receive the light of Christ. . ."

I didn't cry at all during the entire ceremony -
I managed to maintain my composure, as kings must at such times.
However, my silly mommy couldn't hold herself together -
she cried and cried and cried!

Me, my parents, and my godparents

Me, my parents, and Grandma and Grandpa Stanley

Me, my parents, and Nonna and Nonno

Sam, Uncle Mark, Mommy and me, Daddy, Uncle Mychal and Cousin Jackie

Me, my parents, and Maura and Paul

Check out my post-coronation/baptism hair -- very regal, if I say so myself!

A party fit for a king -- check out that spread!

A well-deserved nap after a long and exhausting day!

Early Springtime in the Kingdom!

2008-04-11T13:12:00.005-04:00

Yesterday it was about 70 degrees outside,

so Mommy and Daddy took the opportunity to dress me in a short-sleeved romper and take me out and about again!

Here are some pictures of me and Mommy.
I'm almost as tall as she is now!

A voyage out!

2008-04-09T19:17:00.007-04:00

Today Mommy and Daddy told me that I had to take a tour of the outer reaches of my kingdom - namely, of Spy Pond. They said the world was ready to meet its little king!

I wasn't too happy about leaving my comfy palace and throne at first. . .

. . . but then I thought, hey, I have to give the people what they want.

Here is a picture of me and my Babbo beside the pond.
See how I'm ready for baseball season already?

Smiles all around!

2008-04-05T20:44:00.007-04:00

At first I was a bit skeptical about all this smiling business.
I wasn't sure it was kingly enough to suit me. . .

But I must say, I sure do make it look good!

My Nonna got some very special smiles from me that day!

2008-03-30T19:07:00.007-04:00

Just recently, I began bestowing on my subjects my Royal Smile.

I decided that they needed a reward for their faithful and loyal service.

On Easter, my daddy's parents came to see me.
Here is me smiling at my Grandpa Jojo!

My grandma presented me with a gift fit for a king:
a new Easter outfit!

Although I love all my loyal subjects, it's a rough job, keeping them whipped into shape.
But hey, no one said being King is easy!

The Royal Yawn

2008-03-30T00:34:00.002-04:00

The Royal Sneeze

2008-03-23T19:16:00.002-04:00

Bouncy chair!

2008-03-10T14:41:00.000-04:00

I recently received a new Baby Bjorn bouncy chair.
At first I wasn't a huge fan, but now I sit in it all the time!

Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit!

2008-03-08T00:26:00.000-05:00

My mommy's parents came to visit me in early March.
Here I am with them!

The birth and first month of Tomassino!

2008-02-28T13:59:00.000-05:00

Hello world!

My name is Thomas John.
I was born on January 28, 2008 (the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas) at 8:18pm.
I weighed 7 lbs., 1 oz. and was 21 inches long!

After a short stay in the hospital, I came home on January 31.
Aren't I cute with my little Pooh blanket?

On February 9, I received my first bath!
I didn't enjoy the actual bath so much, but I liked getting my hair shampooed.
Since then, though, I've begun to enjoy my baths more and more!

Daddy dressed me up in a baseball outfit.

They say I look a lot like my Daddy in this picture!

This is me on my first official outing.
Mommy and Daddy took me to one of their favorite places - Starbucks!
They didn't let me have any coffee, though.

Below is me in my Mommy's favorite outfit.
Already I'm a quite serious little baby!

Here I am in a Noah's Ark outfit. Can you believe I'm already a month old?