He's a big boy now!

Elijah is officially potty trained! My baby is a big boy! Just a few months before he turns three! This is yet another bittersweet milestone for me. I LOVE that he is diaper free, don't get me wrong, but it also means he really isn't so little any more. This is hard for me to chew on. I can't believe how much he has matured and grown over the past few months. It has been fun watching him blossom and become the little man that he is. He is very strong willed (not sure where he gets that) and has a mind of his own. He doesn't seem to care about what others think of him or worrying about trying to please others.

He is not easily influenced either. This made potty training rather difficult. I wasn't sure it was going to ever happen after he would go for a week at a time accident free and then walk by with underwear that was cold and wet with poop in it and not seem to care. I am not sure what finally made him decide it was time, but we are so thankful. It finally happened while we were in St. Paul visiting Clint and Katy. It might have been partially related to the fact that he did not want to be a "baby" like Isaiah. He told me he was a "big boy like Jonah because he didn't wear diapers like Isaiah." Either way, it is marvelous, magnificent, and miraculous.

Potty training required numerous bribes, incentives, and rewards. Think what you will, but it worked. The grand prize was a new robin toy.

His original Robin was lost in Lowes a few weeks ago. When it was lost I told him I would buy him a new one if he was all done with diapers and pooped and peed in the potty all the time. (If you are an avid blog reader you appreciate this reward just as much as he does. Elijah has been Robin since last October and has taken this little man everywhere since he opened it at Christmas time.) It was no easy toy to find and I had to search high and low on the internet for it. Thank goodness though, because I did find one. I am a little disappointed as I think he might be defective (his arms won't go down), but this hasn't been an issue yet.

Way to go Elijah! I am proud of you little buddy! You really aren't my baby anymore!