With his popping toy and Iggle Piggle in hand James comes over to see his Daddy to get on with some good playing!

A shiny new library book is always great but when it's about Beep Beeps it's just too good to put down.

As is usually the case when Daddy asks for a big smile for the camera this is the result!

When Mummy got back from work she decided to blow a few bubbles for James. He loves his bubbles and tries to grab them as they fall.

Sometimes there are just too many bubbles to pop before they hit the ground!

James lines up his next bubble popping victim!

Our little lad is content with life as it is this evening! If you look in this picture now only can you see James but also bubbles, Makka Pakka, the Digger book and his yoghurt. So many favourites!

After we'd got back from our 20 week scan, Grandpa and GranGran were waiting for us on the doorstep so while Chris got ready to rush back out the door to work, they sat down with James and read a few books together.

James demonstrates his understanding of his books contents by showing his visitors exactly where you put a hat!

James still loves doing his laps and here you see him in full motion doing the anti-clockwise variety!

Having picked up his favourite pencil and a scrap of paper he's in his element and does a few clockwise laps to prove it.

With this mischievous look, he'd worked out that if he sat down he could do something new...

...and that was spinning around on the spot on his bottom!

Someone looks pleased with himself! Note the pencil and paper held throughout - it wouldn't be half the achievement done with empty hands!

With Granny and Grandad staying for the weekend, it then turned into a Grandparent full house with the arrival of Grandma on Sunday afternoon. We all went out for lunch and as usual, someone was the centre of attention!

Having finally collared James, we all walked to the pub in a much more orderly fashion than he would have preferred.

Whilst waiting for lunch to turn up, a hungry James was taken off by "Nanny" to relive the hunger pangs. We're not sure about the introduction to gambling though!

A dull and dreary Saturday morning outside but inside it's all goodness and light. With a big bag of pegs to play with, even a nasty cough and cold can't dampen James' spirits.

With it having been pretty chilly over the previous weeks, hats and gloves are always close by and amazingly enough James actually put his hat on rather than us having to force it on him!

With Daddy having done the shopping, James decides to give him a hand putting the shopping away. Unfortunately the bread rolls were quite a favourite and ended up becoming rather squashed!

Mummy has a go with the camera while Daddy blows some bubbles.

All the while the bubbles are there to be popped, James says "Pop pop pop". His vocabulary is really impressive for a little lad of 19 months!

One of his more obscure phrases comes from an amalgamation of two of his mispronounced words. Meegle, we think, is "Green One" and "Pay-Tay" is certainly pencil. The yellow pencil is the closest one we have to a "Green One"!

With Daddy having asked James for a big smile, this is the result we got!

Need we say more? CHHHAAAARRRRGGGGGGE!!!!!!!!!

We just love this picture. It belies his tinker nature as it makes him look the model of innocence!

Grandpa and GranGran came round for a flying visit before heading off on their winter break and brought over Christmas presents, one of which had to be opened early!

After a long week at work, Daddy arrives back home to a ever so slightly lived in looking house! I wonder who caused the mess?

After a quick "Aye-oo" (hello) from James, it's straight to the serious business of playing. Here James hands his Daddy a horsey or shee-saw as he calls them.

Grandma and Big Rog paid us a visit on the Saturday before Christmas to also drop off presents and see us all. We headed off to a nearby pub for lunch where James wanted to try his Mummy's drink. It looks like it was a little bit colder than James was expecting!

As the pub was a bit busy, the food took longer to arrive that we'd have liked so we had to entertain a certain individual to take his mind off his hungry tummy.

After our nice lunch, Big Rob walks James back to the house.

James decides to burn off some energy by doing a few laps. As usual he has company, this time it's Piggle and the Green Ball.

A lovely picture with Grandma and Big Rog but I think James has learnt a cheeky trick from Rog of picking his nose in nice family pictures!

Here's a lovely picture of them both in front of the "Miss-mass-mee"!

Another lovely family picture this time without the nose picking!

James has a quick go on his rocker. We have to constantly tell him to sit rather than stand on the seat now though I guess his excitement is understandable with it being Christmas eve!

It's Christmas morning and Santa Claus has paid us a visit! James opens his first present and it's Upsy Daisy! How did he know?!!

Another present and this time it's a little tractor. He's a clever chap this Father Christmas!

...and now he's got me a Thomas the Tank Engine DVD. But how do I read this?!

Wearing one of his great new Christmas T-shirts, James has a look for Christmas beep-beeps (or should that be reindeer drawn sleighs?) outside.

This is how we often feel when confronted with James' energy! Em forgot to turn the flash on the camera and the resulting long exposure shows some bouncing in action!

James has a look at some of his books from Father Christmas. Amazingly enough, this one has pictures of diggers in!

After all the excitement of Christmas morning, James decides that it's time for a nap. Using a few cushions he gets all his friends together, using them as pillows and settles down for the quickest of sleeps!

After a military operation in the kitchen and helped by a good long nap from young Master Thomas, lunch is served at 1:30! The photo only took a dozen attempts to get, mostly caused by Daddy's inept use of the camera timer!

After tucking away plenty of turkey and even a Brussels sprout, James shows his appreciation of his first proper Christmas lunch by wiggling and shaking his head!

James likes to try whatever Mummy or Daddy are having and calls out "Mummy's" or "Daddy's" to try them. Here he tries Mummy's lemonade with the slightest bit of wine.

James pulls his serious wine taster face as he tries his first drop of grog.

"No Mummy, I don't think this one is a good vintage!"

After a drop of juice and water things are much better and it's back to acting up for Mummy and Daddy!

The bonus of having an early lunch meant we could get out for a walk before it got too dark. We went to Roath Park like last year and thankfully took James' ball!

James finds a feather and it gets stuck to his face.

James and his Mummy go off exploring the playground.

James likes going on the slide but not in the conventional way!

Here he practices his stage show moves. Maybe he should be on Strictly Come Dancing?!!

As the sun dropped along with the temperature we managed to get a hat on him, but we've no chance with the gloves!

Back home, and warm again we open a few more presents. Here we're opening some In The Night Garden DVD's which will be great for all of us!

James certainly looks pleased with them, even if he still thinks they are books!

James gets busy ripping the paper off his next pressie.

It's another great pressie. This time it's a Thomas the Tank Engine collection from Auntie Shelly.

James is very direct when he wants you to do something and certainly knows how to point! Here he asks his Daddy to bounce along too!

James takes a quick break from bouncing to read another digger related book.

Mummy and James play together and I think some tickling is involved!

Just in case we forget who's number one right now, even James' clothing reminds us!

James watches Piggle and the gang as usual before bedtime and looks fairly comfortable doing so!

As a final play before bed, James has a go on his rocking horse and really gets into it! The horse even starts moving round the room as he gets his momentum up!

Having driven up the previous night, we arrived in a chilly Mid Wales to see in the New Year with Grandma, Big Rog, Auntie Cath and Uncle Andy. Grandma checks that James is all wrapped up before going on a cold winter walk.

James discovers the rocking chair and decides that he wants a go. We're constantly surprised about which new object he's managed to climb onto!

James took a real shine to Midge and made frequent visits to see him in the utility room. In case you can't see Midge here, James is conveniently pointing him out for you.

James says goodbye to 2008 in his own way. Putting Mummy's hat on became a great game for the time we were here!