The last month has seen the introduction of some rather funky Jake and the Neverland Pirate pants, and we no longer have two in nappies. Despite me wanting to wait until the summer, the little dude had other ideas and instigated potty training. He has taken to it so well and I am really glad that I waited rather than pushed it as we spent one day indoors and then went on with our normal lives.
After only a few days, we realised he was dry at night as well, and whilst we haven't yet taken the plunge as we have holidays later this month, realistically nappies are now a thing of the past for my biggest little man.
Potty training not only signalises a step in the right direction, but the end of an era for Dylan. Nappies were the last bit of babyhood that we have been holding onto, and at two and a half, Dylan has come so far from that beautiful newborn baby he once was that he is barely recognisable.
All those little things that differentiate babies from preschoolers have been left behind. Milk and other drinks are now drunk from a cup rather than a breast, bottle or beaker, and we never went down the dummy road. The cot became a bed, and the gro bag was replaced with a duvet. Afternoon naps are becoming rare, and Dylan barely uses a buggy now, able to walk most places quite easily.
At two and a half, Dylan's speech is well ahead of his age, he is learning to read, he can count, he can understand so much, and he is barely even a toddler anymore, but a little boy, learning at every opportunity, growing before my very eyes. He is becoming so aware of everything around him, his curiosity and questions helping him make sense of the big world, but still in that simplistic toddler way, where everything is good and pure.
With Potty training being sprung upon me without warning (two months ago he would not have sat on a potty, nevermind used it as a toilet!), I feel almost nostalgic for the days when my little boy was more dependent, on me and on other people in general. He is asserting his independence more every day, learning to dress himself, to take himself off to the toilet, to read his own stories.
Dylan is a tall boy, a confident boy and a loving boy, asking for cuddles and to have a snuggle on the sofa with me. The new milestones have meant that he is choosing to be loving and choosing my comfort and that is one of the best things to come out of it.
Saying goodbye to nappies is more than just a simple goodbye though, it is my little man proving that he is ready for new challenges, for everything that is to come. It will be time to drop him off at nursery in a few months and later this year I will be choosing schools for my two year old, as he will start at only just turned 4. The end of nappies and the loss of those baby things means I will soon have a preschooler on my hands.
No longer a baby, but a little boy.
