The "I can't move because I'm touching grass" phase was a beautiful one. Alas, it was short. If you set Mila down in the grass now, she either yells at you for letting her precious little butt touch the ground or takes off in search of things to destroy.
Either way, the joy of productivity left when the phase left.
Enter every outdoor toy imaginable. Between the bubble machine, water table, toy truck, buckets, rattles, blocks, and balls I've piled up around Mila, you would think I would be able to get a few things done outside.
You would be wrong.
There is nothing in this entire world that will keep Mila busy and happily entertained outdoors. Not even Alexis can convince the child that she's better off away from the mud and choking hazards. I've already let the garden and landscaping go for the past two years, so really I have no choice but to keep trying to figure something out.
Oh, yeah. I did figure something out.
The good news is that I didn't buy that elaborate system of baby gates. Nor did I drag the Pack n Play outside only to be reminded that Mila will set fire to my hair if I put her in that thing ever again. I didn't chain the child to a tree. I simply drug out a baby pool.
No water.
Just the pool.
That magical little blue pool is the most amazing Mila Containment System the world has ever seen. She is physically incapable of going past its walls. It's like a beautiful invisible bubble that keeps the Tiny Human in the same general place. Toss in a toy or two or ten -- any toys at all -- and she's happy for hours.
I mean, eventually she decides she wants to be around other humans. When she does, she sits inside her invisible bubble and yells for help.
Because she can't leave.
Ever.
And that is the story of how I managed to weed and mulch the biggest flower bed, weed another flower bed, clean the pond, clean the patio, and replace a bunch of dead shrubs all in one day.
It was amazing.