Nathan got a new present from Nanna. It's a tower with rings around it. By the end of the day the lad had worked out that if he turned the tower upside-down then the rings would fall off.

The lad broke all previous records by eating eight cubes for lunch. This included his first taste of Haddock. Marvel of marvels Nathan ate almost all of the haddock/vegetable mix without it having to be mixed with the fruit dessert.

This new belly of Nathan's isn't fat. It's just as firm as the rest of him. Perhaps his stomach has actually grown as he eats all this extra food.

Another visit to Granny and Grandpa. Nathan wowed the masses with his "commando diving" which he still performs with the same enthusiasm.

The lad's dexterity is also impressive, as he turns a plastic adjustable spanner over and over in his hands.

Nathan's starting to rise at 5:00am. We hope this is a passing phase.

The difference between a Nathan with short and long nails is the difference between having your face gently stroked b cotton buds, and raked by a malicious cat. Definitely a good idea to cut them.

We read a book that said that baby talk doesn't mean anything in itself, it's just a placeholder for language when it arrives. Well, Nathan's got a word that means something. It's "Ba" and when we work out what it means we'll be most gratified.

Swimming was great today. Nathan enjoyed the whole half hour session.

Granny came to visit and Nathan did something he hasn't done with her before. He looked around to see where she'd gone when she left the room.

The two-toy play continues to become more sophisticated. Nathan's starting to bash the toys together.

The lad's still eating well. We're giving him two 2.5ml doses of Lactulose a day (in his food) and he's not in discomfort any more. Seven and a half cubes is the current record, and cod is just about acceptable now.

Dad took Nathan to meet his old work colleagues. We went to an Indian restaurant and Nathan had his own meal as well as having bits of Biriani dropped on him.

The lad's discovered a new game. He gets himself lowered, arms outstretched, to the floor, then pulls one of his arms towards his body and rolls, parachutist-like onto his back, whereupon he is tickled. He just loves it.

Mum's birthday today. Last year the lad made 1kg as a birthday present. He's a bit heavier these days. Dad had to carry him around the shops, and it wasn't easy. Nathan's growing around the chest as well. He's much more barrel shaped these days.

Nathan's been laying bricks these last few weeks, and it hasn't been easy for him. After much thought and consultation (we don't want those hernias to return) we're giving him two doses of Lactulose a day. The first dose was at 12:00pm and the results were evident by bathtime at 6:30pm.

Nathan went off to Oxford to see the surgeon who fixed his hernias. He's happy with Nathan's progress but was slightly wary that the lad's right testicle is higher than his left. They think that this is due to the chord that attaches the testicle becoming "sticky" as it was touched during the operation. Nathan's going back in six months for another checkup by which time it's hoped that the testicle will have lowered by it's own.

On the ever present subject of food, Nathan seems quite happy to suck on a piece of apple if it's given to him. The apple in question was more sour than he'd have tolerated if he was spoon fed it. It may be time to try Nathan on finger food.