AIDAN GEORGE MARS INCAGNOLI

THE CHRISTENING & PARTY, PT1
May 18, 11:00 am

The Christening was held at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, on Sumner Street in East Boston. This is where Aidan's dad went to school (the school no longer exists, there are condos there now), and where he was baptized and became an altar boy, as well. Oddly enough, although we hadn't planned it, the first day when everyone's schedules matched up and we could get the same church was on May 18th. We only realized a few weeks after booking the mass that this was the first anniversary of our wedding, held at the church a year prior. Luckily, we got much better weather this time. In fact, we got the weather for the Christening that we were supposed to get the year before at our wedding, when the 18th was preceded and followed by lovely, warm Spring days, but on the morning of our wedding it rained, hailed for a short time, and even a few flakes of snow were seen!

Aidan was remarkably good, not once did he cry all the way from Asbury Park, NJ to Boston, MA... a trip that took us 8 hours due to stops for feeding and changing! He was goos as gold at the church, too, though we had to resort to the now-familiar tactic of letting him use our pinkies as pacifiers.

Granma Alice, Godmother Rosie, Mom and Dad all stayed at the beautiful and genuinely swanky Boston Harbor Hotel, thanks to Aidan's 'Auntie' Catherine, one of Dad's best friends. Then Dad's sister Aunt Maureen and hubby Uncle Enio held a post-Christening party and buffet at their house in Wakefield, with it's beautiful yard and garden.

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2003

Arriving in Boston, the other inmates offered tribute to the "Big Baby", and he seemed happy enough at Boston Harbor Hotel "Correctional Facility"...

...but he was only biding his time...

... Aidan didn't like being behind bars... after 'lights out', he would vent his rage alone..."they haven't MADE the cell that'll hold the BIG BABY!!!"

...sure enough, his accomplices -- who looked conspicuously like Mom and Dad -- sprung the "Big Baby" that very night; though very, very small, he remains at large...

...but at least one accomplice wasn't so lucky...

First stop after the Hotel was to Whidden Memorial Hospital, to see Grandma Mae Mae, who had yet to meet Aidan in person. They liked each other pretty well.

Moments after their first meeting Aidan gives Granma Mae Mae a sweet smile .

Three generations of hands on Daddy's side, two for Momma too.

"I think my Nanna loves me."

Aidan felt comfy with Grandma Mae pretty quick.

The end of a long day... resting up for the big event.

SUNDAY MORNING

It's 10:50 am, ten minutes until showtime and both momma and baby look beautiful.

Well behaved and waiting for his turn at the font... all he needed was a pinky bribe and momma's love.

"Yummmmm....Momma's pinky is the BEST!!!"

Three generations of the Mars family.

"Portrait of a Fidgety Child in Motion"

Father Jose conducts the Service at Our Lady of the Assumption

Aunt Rosemary watches the service as she hovers at the brink of Godmotherhood.

Godfather/Cousin Bob Pernice is all aglow with the pride of his new responsibilities.

Godmother Rosie awaits her 2nd generation of Mars Godchildren; a veteran at this, she was Uncle Simon's Godmother as well.

Uncle Simon [with friend Fiona] about to be a Godfather to his first nephew.

A glance ahead into Aidan's future [8 years up the road] and Daddy's past [36 years down the drain] was provided by this group of children receiving their First Communion during the same Mass as the Christening. Nice to see they still wear the white suits.

Father Jose reading the Baptismal Rite. Am I the only one who thinks he looks like Father Guido Sarducci?

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Luckily Granma Alice was on hand to take this shot of the Baptismal Rite.

At the church after the service Aunt Maureen gets her first look at her nephew...

...while Aunt Rosemary looks over Momma's shoulder at her new Godson.

Before the party we made a quick stop at the hospital, so Mae could see the Christening graduate. Having been quiet all morning, Aidan let loose...

...but some love from Granny quieted him down.

Even the hospital couldn't dampen Mae Mae's spirits over her status as a little Italian 'Nanna'.

Thanks to Granma Alice, Aidan was able to wear the same gown that his Mother and Uncle Simon wore for their Christenings.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

La Famiglia: Cathy and Aidan with Grandma Alice, the Godparents, Barbara [behind Rosemary] and our gracious hosts, at the far right, Maureen and Enio Massaro.

"God Bless Little Aidan" reads the cake that Aunt Maureen provided for the after-party buffet at her home in Wakefield. We planned on pastry and coffee, but no amount of objections could keep Aidan's Uncle Enio and Aunt Moe from preparing a mountain of delicious food, in true Italian style. Cousins Carla and Marisa were over the moon -- they'd pestered me about giving them a baby cousin of their own since they were 4 and 6 years old!!

The Mars Family: Grandma Alice, Godfather Simon, Momma Cathy, Aidan George Mars Incagnoli, and Godmother Rosie -- Alice and Rosie came over from Kent, England, while Simon made the pilgrimmage all the way from Dubai. Cathy's father, George Mars, was a Hurricane and Spitfire navigator during WWII ; we named Aidan in his memory.

2003 Godparent Review. Daddy Joe, Godfather Bob and Godmother Rosemary join the Mars clan out in Aunt Maureen's lovely garden. With such wonderful families, we know Aidan would be in great hands if anything ever happened to Cathy and I.

Auntie Barbara is a natural when it comes to making Aidan feel happy and secure. Though he wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Rosemary and Barbara gave Aidan a beautiful silver rattle with little sapphires on the end that Auntie Ro made herself.

TUESDAY AFTERNOON

Daddy and baby both looking a wee bit tired as we say "bye bye" to Granma Mae Mae.

But wait...what's that sound? Aidan still has a few things to say to his Nanna!

Last stop of the day: Aidan still had one more important person to meet, and there was just time for a visit with his Uncle Robert - Daddy's big brother. Ten years older than me, Bobby was a Marine who enlisted at age 17 and served three tours of duty in Vietnam, receiving a Purple Heart. He was a Lance Corporal and radio linesman/artillery spotter, one of the most dangerous jobs in the Marine Corps. Bobby died in 1977 at the age of 28, when Aidan's Aunt Maureen was pregnant with her first child, Carla. Bobby was so excited that he was about to be an uncle, but he passed away before he had the chance. I know he would have felt the same about Aidan, and he's looking on and smiling right now. Aidan appears to have inherited Uncle Bobby's big ears.