To Potty Train or Not to Potty Train (yet)

Shepherd is getting to a phase where he doesn't want to lay still long enough to get his diaper changed, and I'm getting to a phase where I'm tired of wrestling him while simultaneously cleaning him and putting on a new diaper.  I've been hesitating to start potty training simply because a) the parenting books say to wait until a child is bothered by dirty diapers and can recognize the urge (the latter, yes, the former, not so much), and b) the average potty training age for boys in America is 39 months, so I'm not sure if trying it at 26 months would be premature and frustratingly futile.

With all of this information running through my head, I've basically been putting off the issue week after week.  However, something happened last week that has me seriously considering the issue.  It was early in the morning, and Shepherd was watching Dora the Explorer in the living room while I was nursing Lydia in mine and BJ's room.  Since BJ had gotten Shepherd out of bed that morning, Shepherd was in his diaper and nothing else (BJ does not understand the point in dressing our children, so he never does it. Ever. If our children have clothes, you can bet it was my doing.) 

So I'm nursing Lydia, and Shepherd runs quickly into the bedroom naked carrying his diaper.  He says, "Dipe-a, poopy," sits the diaper on the floor, and then starts running back down the hall with every intention to sit on the couch and resume watching Dora.  I quickly deposited a not-too-happy-to-be-interupted Lydia into her bed, and started chasing my dirty-bottomed little boy.  Thankfully, I caught him before our couch was defiled.  I carried him back to his room at arms lenth, cleaned him up, and put a new diaper and clothes on him.  When I laid him on the table, he looked up at me and said, "Thank oo, Mommy."  I'm not sure what I was being thanked for, but I'm glad the kid is polite.

With this memory all too vivid in my mind this week, I'm left to wonder if it is time to bite the bullet and potty train this kid.  To my dear readers, do you have any advice on how to potty train an ornery, 2-year-old little boy?  If so, please, I'm desperate.