Potty Learned

I'm reluctant to log this milestone, as I know Mazin could backslide or go on potty strike at any point. But it seems to be the real thing. After about five months of daily pantlessness around the house, Mazin seems to have fully mastered the notion of going in the potty--for number one AND number two!!! I kind of thought it would be harder than this. I guess I expected him to put up more of a fight or something. But he seems to really want to go on the potty now. He doesn't seem to like the idea of a diaper any more. We may have fallen short in other parenting areas, but I think we played this one well. What a crazy dance it was, though. Trying to find the middle ground between too much and not enough persuasion; offering rewards while still allowing him to develop intrinsic motivation. I want to record the process here so I can remember when someone (maybe an adult Mazin with his own first baby) asks, "so how did you potty train?" We started by explaining what the potty is for. We used his favorite treat, M&Ms, to reward any attempts on it, even unproductive ones. When he succeeded, we gave him over-the-top praise and even more M&Ms. (It was really all about the M&Ms, to be totally honest.)  When he seemed to have mastered the idea, we pulled the candy and explained that it would return upon his deposit of one good poop in the potty. It took him a while to work up to that one. He seemed to be afraid to do that. But with some back rubbing and reassurance, one day it happened! And then it happened again. (And then we got a little too cocky, and he hid behind the Norfolk pine and pooped his pants in the living room. Thankfully we was wearing pants that morning.) Last night at a party his peed his pants (and his shoes), but he managed to poop on a strange potty! Even I find that challenging sometimes, so I am impressed. It's a big deal, this potty-learning thing. Mazin is now less dependent on John and me in one more way. My baby is less and less of a baby. At least I still get to wipe his butt. (And how long do I have to do that for?)