Time to Buckle Down and Knit the Bears

I have been procrastinating. In less than a week we leave to visit our family outside of Boston, and there's so much to do! One of Paul's older brothers and his wife are expecting their first baby and I told Paul I would crochet a blanket (and promised myself!) and knit a matching teddy bear. The blanket is finished, but halfway through body of the bear I got distracted when I learned a new crochet stitch (and broke down and started a new blanket). While I've done quite a lot of knitting (and tend to think of myself as a knitter) I only knew on crochet stitch (now I know two). That was two weeks ago and I haven't picked the little bear up since. Now I need to focus in on the bear.

That bear really isn't the problem though. I could finish it in a couple of days, although it will probably take a bit more time with Sadie "helping." The problem is that I need to bring a present for our two year old nieces birthday party, which will take place while we're there, and with our suddenly smaller budget I need to work with what I have. The beautiful merino wool I had set aside before Sadie was born to make a sweater (for myself) with, is about to become Bear #2. I need to hustle to finish in time. And since I don't want to haul a bag of stuffing with me on the plane I am not counting plane time as knitting time. My new rule for the coming week is no working on the blanket (which is for Sadie) until the bears are done.

I've also started working on a list of things I need to pack. Maybe I can come up with a "What You Need To Bring When Flying Across the County with a Toddler" list. Any suggestions of baby items you can't live without during a week away from home?