Daily Travels - My top tips for flying with baby!

Having just returned from our 10 day trip to the UK to visit my parents, Owen now has a stamp in his passport and 20+ hours of flying time under his belt.  We were prepared for the worst but hoping for the best.  Turns out that he's a pretty good little traveler and handled both flights with relative ease.  That being said, I definitely came away from the experience with a few tips and tricks that I figure may be helpful for somebody out there.  So, here you go (in no particular order of importance)!

Are we there yet?

1) Call your airline to double check their individual policy, but it should be standard allowance to gate check a stroller for free.   Even if the baby's not in it, use it to tote your luggage through the airport.  I highly recommending shelling out the $14 for this gate check stroller bag.  When we arrived at Heathrow, it was raining (no surprises there) and the bag was soaked from making the trip off the tarmac in the rain, but it kept our stroller dry.  It also provides a level of protection against heavy-handed baggage handlers, who would potentially mangle your stroller should it pop open at some point. 

2) If you aren't booking a seat for baby, find out if you can get a bassinet/bulkhead seat.  It may cost a little extra, and there may be weight/age restrictions (depending on the airline) but, if you can't buy a seat for baby, the bassinet is a great option.  It cost us $50 each way, but having somewhere that we could put him down and he could play was well worth the price.  Unfortunately, it meant that he was in front of the screens (not that he was going to let us sit quietly and watch a movie anyway) but on the flip side, the bulkhead gives you a little extra leg room too.  They're available on a first come, first serve basis, so I recommend calling as soon as you book.  [UPDATE: Since writing this, a reader made a good observation that the bassinet option may only be available on international flights.  Something to keep in mind.]

3) Order your meal selection for the baby while you're calling about stroller checks and bassinets.  As it turns out, our request for a low sodium meal for Owen didn't make it into the computer.  The flight attendant very nicely arrived with some Gerber baby jars on a tray for him, and we had to inform her that there was no way he'd eat it.  She was able to procure a meal for us though and he chowed down quite happily on the regular food.

Makes pulling an all-nighter look easy

4) Speaking of, bring some of your own food too.  We packed a couple of the Plum Organics pouches - just make sure you declare them at security.  They didn't even look at them at LAX, and at Heathrow they just took a quick look to make sure the pouch was sealed.  While we didn't on this trip, you can also bring breast milk and formula through security too.  Here is what TSA has to say about it.  

5)  Ask the flight attendant for a bottle of water early on.  They were happy to give us a liter bottle so that we could use it for ourselves, the sippy cup etc.  Much easier for them than having to bring us water repeatedly throughout the flight.  It also made us the envy of our neighboring passenger who asked what the magic trick was to get a bottle, and I informed her that having a baby would do it.  The flight attendants also offered to warm up bottles etc. if we needed it, so that's always a good thing to know.

6) Head off to the dollar store and get some "disposable" toys.  I spent about $5 on some board books, flash cards, plastic discs, etc.  They were new and kept his attention for a few minutes at least.  It was also no hardship if they got lost along the way and it wasn't a question of losing a favorite toy.

7) Alternatively, random things on the airplane make great toys.  Simple things like plastic spoons and cups are easily wiped off and make great toys.  Owen spent quite a bit of time dropping one of his links into a plastic coffee mug over and over.  He also spent a good 20 minutes on the flight to Heathrow "sharing" his coffee with Husband and I.  It's the simple things.

8) Load up some baby apps.  Fisher Price and Baby First both have some nice options.  Some are flash card type apps, others are interactive story books.  Either way, a little screen time isn't bad given the circumstances.  Also, check out the kid's programming for in-flight entertainment as they probably have some kid-friendly options.

9) Bring at least a couple changes of clothes for the baby, plus a change of shirt or two for yourself.  I actually recommend having this in the diaper bag for the entirety of the trip.  It came in super handy when Owen, who had never previously projectile vomited in his 11 months of existence, decided to get a bit Exorcist all over himself, me, and the floor at Waterloo Station.  The horrified look on the face of the teenagers that he almost nailed was classic, and probably did serve as instant birth control.  I was, however, super happy to be able to change us both out of the offending puke covered items and back into something less offensive.

Suggestion:  Drink beer before giving can to baby

10) Dress the baby in an extra layer.  We didn't need any costume changes on the way out, but on the flight back, there was a little more vomiting.  Fortunately, I was able to take off the outer layer of clothing (revealing that Owen is indeed Batman) and let him hang out in a onesie until we could get him an appropriate change of clothes.  It may be worth having an extra layer for yourself too...in case the vomiting is projectile, or a poop-splosion happens.

11) You probably want a stash of plastic bags on you too...you know, to hold all the gross stuff that I just mentioned in the previous two points.  My aunt taught me many years ago how to fold plastic bags into nifty little triangles for space saving.  Here's a video - it's a neat trick.

12) Wear the baby.  I wore Owen through security both times, and was not required to take him out of the carrier.  That freed up the stroller for our carry on luggage.  In an airport like Heathrow, where you have to walk a mile to your gate, that can be a great help.  Be aware that they won't let you wear the baby for take off and landing though.  The airline will provide a lap belt attachment for you to use.  Personally, I feel like they'd be more secure in the carrier, but I don't make the rules.  There was no way that we were going to get Owen to sleep in the bassinet, especially with the screens right there.  We would turn them off and he figured out that if he smacked them, they'd turn on again (the downside of touch screens).  I managed to get him to sleep by popping him in the Ergo and taking him to the galley where I could sing/rock him to my heart's content without bothering our fellow passengers.  Once he was asleep, I went back to the seat and tried not to move too much.

13) Don't forget to ask for wings to mark the first flight!  We were flying Air NZ and they don't have wings, but the flight attendant was nice enough to fetch us a little packet for him to commemorate his first journey. 

14) Find out which bathrooms have changing tables as soon as you can.  Turns out the Air NZ had changing tables in all of their bathrooms, which was a win because it meant no waiting for a particular bathroom to open up. Granted, there is nothing fun about trying to change a poopy diaper in a confined space like that, but you do what you gotta do.  It's also not fun when you find out that your child has figured out how to open the door lock while you are trying to use the facilities, leading to one-armed grappling with baby, pants, and door in an attempt to maintain some kind of modesty.

In the end, it all went much smoother (barfing notwithstanding) than I thought it would and we found everybody to be quite understanding.  We are lucky that Owen is generally very friendly so delivered smiles to security agents, immigration, customs, flight attendants, and neighboring passengers.  I think that people have such a preconceived notion that any baby on a plane is going to be a problem that they are thrilled to see parents trying to make it a pleasant experience.  We never even had to offer up the earplugs that I'd packed in our carry on!

I've probably forgotten some things here, but if this list is helpful to anybody, then I have done my job! Happy travels....

Daily Ramblings - Birthdays and un-birthdays

Our household was recently hit by the dreaded lurgy (which is one of those British phrases I'd very much like to get people using here in the US).  A couple of weeks ago, Owen brought home a daycare cold, which resulted in getting me sick.  He recovered pretty quickly but, having given the munchkin all my antibodies, I didn't fare so well.  After the cold symptoms dissipated, the following week of sinus headaches led me to the ENT doctor.  He congratulated me on the general disturbing state of my sinuses and tonsils, then sent me home with a 10 day dose of antibiotics.  The drugs had just taken hold on my infection when Owen started coughing and wheezing, leading to a weekend trip to urgent care where he was diagnosed with bronchitis.  Now we have to give him breathing treatments with albuterol twice a day, which essentially means we wave a wand that is spewing vapor into his mouth and try to get him to stay still for 10 minutes while it works it's magic and opens up his airways.  There is nothing fun about this.  Trying to get a six month old to stay in one spot for 10 minutes is hard enough as is, let alone with something that he doesn't understand shoved in his face.  If he doesn't start crying straight away, I will potentially spend those 10 minutes trying to wrestle the wand out of his hands because he's trying to eat it.  This morning he thought it was a gigantic straw and was trying to suck liquid out of it, then got frustrated because it wasn't working.  The kid is too smart for his own good.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, we did have cause for celebration.  Owen turned 6 months on Monday. That's half a year since he burst into our lives and changed us forever.  I can hardly believe it.  In that he was sick, I didn't get to do the photoshoot that I was hoping to, but snapped some pics on my cell phone to commemorate.  I'll do a proper photoshoot with him in the next couple of weeks.  I'd say his "blue steel" is pretty good already though.

Yesterday, it was my birthday.  I'd say 34 is a relative non-event, and the universe did feel the need to remind me of that as I struggled with car trouble and a wheezing baby, which meant my celebratory dinner ended up being Indian takeout, obtained and hand-delivered by my loving husband.  It certainly wasn't the ideal birthday but, in the end, I was surrounded by my boys (the big one, the small one, and the furry one) and I can't complain about that too much.

Daily Ramblings - Welcome 2013!

Happy New Year to you all.  I hope the holiday season brought you everything you desired.

Last year was a whirlwind.  I was completely preoccupied with pregnancy and then the arrival of my beautiful baby boy for 11 of the 12 months.  Even now with just under 2 months left in my maternity leave I'm realizing how few things I had planned to do during my leave have actually been done.  (Don't get me wrong though, I'm certainly feeling at peace with accomplishing nothing more than looking after the little guy and doing basic household chores daily!)

Even something simple, like updating my blog, has been more challenging than I expected as our computers are in the basement so not super convenient.  Husband was kind enough to buy me a tablet for our wedding anniversary/Christmas so now I can communicate with you from the couch/rocker/bed....even with babe sleeping in the crook of my arm.  Technology is awesome!

For now, I leave you with a little bit of Photoshop magic, courtesy of our friend Nick.  Here's baby Owen in his Christmas Eve outfit...

Daily Baby - He's here!

Owen Philip Jacobs was born on October 29, 2012 at 19:19.  He was 7lbs 9oz and measured in at 19.5".

Little did we know, when we settled down to watch The Walking Dead, last Sunday night, that a trip to labor & delivery was in the cards.  Even while we were driving to the hospital, I thought in my head that they'd probably end up sending me home.  Turns out that I was actively having contractions only a few minutes apart and my doctor felt it best that they admit me.

17 hours of labor and the little guy arrived, healthy and handsome as anything!  The entire pregnancy, with my due date of November 4th, I'd had it in my head that we were going to have a November baby.  In fact, I'd told people that I wasn't ready for October and that he should just stay in there and bake for as long as necessary.  Turns out that, even though I may not have been truly prepared (i.e. car seat hadn't even been installed), he was ready to meet the world.

As I type this, I have one sleeping babe tucked into the Moby Wrap on my chest, sleeping so peacefully and making squeaky little newborn noises.  He has completely rocked our world and I hardly know what day of the week it is, or how many outfits he's gone through in the last 24 hours due to diaper change accidents.  At the same time, I don't know if I can truly describe how wonderful it feels to look down on his fuzzy little head, to laugh at the surprise on his face when he sneezes, to imagine what he's thinking behind his wise little eyes as he takes in his new surroundings.  It's so strange that he's here, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Daily Ramblings - Hanging in there

Don't worry, my lack of posting doesn't mean I've gone into labor or anything.  I've heard that at this late stage of pregnancy, there is a shift into nesting mode (i.e. must clean everything in the house in preparation for baby) or exhaustion kicks in.  Based on the fact that my major accomplishment yesterday was finally getting a pedicure, I'd say I fall into the latter category.  Yup, I'm tired.  Husband says it's no surprise considering I've been making a baby for the last 8.5 months.  He's a smart man.  I was actually very busy doing just that while on the couch yesterday... 

So, although yesterday was a wash, on Saturday we were super busy and we're now 80% done with the nursery.  I need to wash the bedding and order the last few things, then I can take pictures for the big reveal.  Meanwhile, this morning was another non-eventful weekly appointment.  Nothing exciting to report.  Still pregnant.   

Last week, I had a final scan to get an idea of the size and position of baby.  It was possibly the most fun I've had at a doctor's office ever - the hour long wait for my appointment and the strange altercation with an older lady in the elevator (who was quite insistent that I'm having a girl) notwithstanding.  The good news is that we painted the room blue with good reason - he's still a boy and "not shy" about it (as the doctor said). 

It has to be said that I'm completely in awe of ultra-sound technology and the level of detail that can be achieved.  To be able to see his features, watch him snuggling up against his tiny little hands, and even know that he already has hair, is both eerie and amazing.  It's impossible not to be completely in love though. 

This week is my last week at work.  It's bizarre to think that I'm going to be taking a "break" from this place where I've been coming for the last 11 years of my life.  I may just spend all next week napping...we'll see.  :)

Daily Ramblings - 32 weeks

Stormy skies when leaving Olive Garden after dinner last night.
Love it when it's moody.  ;)

I quite enjoyed this weekend - did a bunch more sewing, massage, pedicure, enjoyed some good food with family, and scored some deals at Target.  Yes, I think I've pampered myself more, since realizing I can no longer cut my own toenails, than I ever have before.  

This morning, I had my 32 week check-up.  Everything is looking good, and it says something when you spend more time discussing cell phone ringers during your visit than you do any concerns that the doctor has (i.e. there were none).  The number of weeks I have to go is in single digits, which seems so strange.  I feel like we have a ton of stuff to do, but also feeling quite calm about it all - perhaps because I'm not entirely sure where to start!

- Our crib and dresser should be working their way to our house soon so we can get those built, then work on decorating the walls in the nursery.
- I made my tentative list of things for the hospital bag, so plan to start putting it together in the next week or two.
- We secured a daycare spot on Friday, which is a huge relief in itself as it's good to know we have somebody we like lined up to look after #weebabyjacobs (yes, my unborn has an unnecessary hashtag in all Facebook references thanks to a friend of ours...who knew it would catch on?)
- Speaking of names, baby's still nameless for now.  I believe it's driving husband's grandmother crazy that we haven't picked a name yet, and she seems more anxious about it than we are!  We've narrowed it down though, so making progress. 



In the meantime, while I actually DID remember to grab my camera this morning to take some photos of what I've been sewing, I didn't have a chance to get the pics off the camera.  I'll get organized eventually, I swear!  :)

Daily Craft - Planes, trucks and stuff

Hope you all had a lovely long weekend.  I made it a super long weekend by taking yesterday off with no intent other than to get some sewing done.  I'm still debating the best way (or if it's even possible) to share my sewing space with baby, as the nursery has been my craft space up until now, and I've been happily utilizing the dual closets for supply storage.  However, husband has graciously offered to let me move my craft space into his "man cave" once we've cleared some room.  In the meantime, I figured I'd take advantage of not having the baby furniture yet, and spread out my fabric!

I started off with sewing this panel that I bought on sale at Joann's.  I'd never really looked at the panels before, but this has changed my mind.  It was $6 and I loved the patchwork & applique....it makes it look like I did something much fancier than I did!  It's also got a nice variety of textures between the flannel, minky and felt on the front.  In the end, I just sewed some snuggly minky fabric (which I'd also purchased on sale and was already in my stash) on the back and called it a day.  Total cost?  Approx $10.  Super cute and cost effective?  I consider that a win! 


[Sorry these aren't the best pictures, but my preggo self didn't feel like walking down and then back up 2 flights of stairs to get my other camera.]


Next post...some crate covers thanks to a tutorial found on Pinterest!

Daily Craft - The other thing I knit

I shared with you the blanket that I finally took pictures of, and now to share the other thing that I knit up for the little one. Baby's first cardigan!  I also started knitting this before knowing gender, so went with what I hoped were relatively neutral colors.  I think it'll work out just fine for baby boy.    :)

Even after sorting through the many, many piles of baby clothes, I'm still in awe of how tiny each piece of clothing actually is.  I know this picture would look much more inspiring if it were on a real life model rather than a plastic hanger. I'll have to take an 'after' picture when he's actually big enough to wear it!

Daily Ramblings - Where did the couch go?

I think my unborn child may have more clothes than I do.  Husband and I unwittingly fell into the perfect storm of hand-me-downs with this kid.  Our two nephews are also fall babies and, as they are quickly growing out of the clothing and other baby gear, there is a stream of stuff making it's way into our house.  After receiving two huge boxes of clothes yesterday, we now have enough clothing to cover him from approx 0-9 months.  I happily sat in front of the TV, watching Olympics highlights, and sorting by size until the entire couch had been overrun by tiny little outfits.  It's all so cute I can hardly bear it!  Meanwhile, a similar thing is going on with one of my closest girlfriends, also with two boys.  She's also been toting around a box of clothes for me for the last 3 weeks.  [Seriously, nobody buy this baby any more clothes!]  I don't even know the right way to thank my sister-in-law and my friend (and their respective husbands of course) for their generosity.  It's truly overwhelming, in a wonderful kind of way.

I'm a few days from being in my third trimester and I can't help but wonder where the hell the last 3 months went.  I've heard that the middle three months are the best.  I no longer have the nausea from the first trimester, and haven't fully developed the discomfort of the last. Jenny (the masseuse at my chiropractor's office) has been keeping an eye on my progress.  A couple of weeks ago, I told her that I was hoarding the massage sessions that my insurance will cover until I really needed her.  Back then, she looked at my ankles and said "it's ok, they're not too swollen yet."  This week, when I was there for my weekly pilates session, she took one look at my ankles and said "it's time".  I'll be seeing her on Saturday, cankles and all. 

Meanwhile, the feeling that time is running out is upon me.  There's still so much to do and organize, birth classes to be attended, books to be read, things to be made!  I remember months ago thinking how much time I have....and now realizing that the time is slipping away quickly.  He's strong enough now that his wiggles are evident from the outside of my belly and he seems to be enjoying his yoga first thing in the morning as I'm trying to ignore the alarm clock.  Soon enough, he won't just be the alien being that's taken over my belly, he'll be a real life little person.  It's weird.  People ask us if we're ready and, honestly, we have no idea if we ever will be.  Feeling somewhat unprepared and all, I couldn't be happier.

Daily Craft - Stitching away!

Husband and several of his guy friends were away this weekend on a "boy's trip", leaving me to my own devices.  Naturally, this ended up being a jam packed weekend having fun with my girlfriends - watched "Magic Mike" (eh), grabbed lunch at a tea house (yum), pedicures (divine), an impromptu sleepover too (hilarious!)  Unfortunately, all the fun I was having meant that I made absolutely zero progress on packing up all my craft supplies in the nursery so that we can make a start with painting.  Good thing there's a national holiday this week!

In the meantime, while I also didn't get any further with making stuff for the little one, I finally got around to snapping a quick photo of my cross-stitch in progress.  It's a zoo themed birth record, which is actually working up pretty quickly.  I think the blocks of color without complicated shading and color changes are helping that.  I actually bought it a couple of years ago on clearance at Joann for $3 and stashed it away...then promptly forgot about it.  The little guy doesn't have a name yet, but I'm looking forward to being able to stitch it on here eventually.

Daily Craft - 4 onesies in 4 minutes

A couple of years ago, I received some iron-on owl appliques in a swap.  Back then, before child was even considered, I thought they'd be super cute on onesies.  I even bought some onesies thinking I could make them for a baby shower gift or something...and then promptly forgot about it.  Fortunately, I found everything last weekend while organizing all my craft supplies, and it took me approximately one minute per onesie to make these.  I think the total cost is less than $5 too, which makes me want to find more cool iron-ons to make more with.

Gotta love the bright colors on Peanut's new playmat too - a super cute hand-me-down from our nephews.  I'm sure these are the first of many photos with that as a backdrop!   

 Meanwhile, my other accomplishment this week was happily donating over 10lbs of yarn to various knitters and crocheters who make things for charity.  It feels great to make the space, but also know that the yarn is going to worthy folk who will create wonderful things for those in need.  I'm definitely feeling like I'm nearing the end of my organization endeavors and quite proud of how much room I've created.  Based on the various hand-me-downs I've received in the last week alone, the need for storage capacity will be dire soon enough!

Daily Craft - The great blanket debate

As my parting payment from sample knitting with Plymouth Yarns, I opted to get a bunch of baby yarns.  I got some Dream Baby DK, Jeannee DK, and a fun textured yarn, Whitney.  All in neutral colors of course, seeing as we have another 2 weeks before I go in for my anatomy scan and find out gender.

What's up with this poor kid's head
being super-imposed on here?!

One of the things I intended to make is a knit blanket...but my search for a blanket ended up being quite complicated with thousands of patterns out there to choose from!  With 6 coordinating colors, I wanted something that would be fun and show off the colors nicely.  In the end, I narrowed it down to 3. 

I did somewhat fall in love with this Honeycomb Stroller Blanket - which looks amazing in bright, bold colors (thank you Ravelry!).   The pastels in the pattern photo do NOT do this justice.  I decided against it for now though as I want something that looks nice on both sides and didn't feel like dealing with adding a backing fabric to a knit piece for now.

I also considered the Bright Blocks Blanket pattern (pictured left, courtesy of Lion Brand). I really like the woven look of the squares, but I've not done a ton of entrelac and I feel like I'm looking for something that won't take forever to do and I don't have to pay much attention to.  Yes - I'm aiming for a good quantity of knit items while I still have the time to do it! 

My final decision?  I've opted to make the Constant Baby Blanket, which will be a nice square blanket, worked from the middle out using simple stitches, but will show off stripes nicely, while being a good mindless (and quick) knit.  Time to cast on...  :)

Daily Craft - and so it begins...

Ever since finding out my preggo status, I've been wanting to get started on making a million things for baby.  I even resigned my position as a sample knitter for Plymouth Yarns, knowing that I'd much rather be making stuff for my own little one, as wonderful as it's been to be knitting for them the last couple years.

I still won't know gender for a few weeks at least, so decided to opt for something delightfully gender neutral to begin Peanut's clothing stash and made this Noggin hat.  The advantages to making tiny things for little babies as that they really come together quickly.  I think this took half a skein of Lion Brand Wool-ease, and just over 2 hours to finish.  

I can't wait until I have an actual baby head to put it on, rather than a kitchen bowl.  :)

Daily Craft - Well, sort of :)

I've been working on a pretty big project over the last couple months.  Most important thing I've ever made really.  This project isn't quite complete...almost a third finished, quite a bit to go.  So, while I must apologize (once again) for my recent radio silence, I hope the wait has been worth it!

I'm thrilled to announce my greatest success so far - due in November 2012!

I will admit that this little squirt has been keeping me occupied (or should I say exhausted and napping) for weeks now.  Most of my morning sickness also seemed to appear in the evenings, so a reclined position on the couch, and access to my "emergency crackers" has been vital. 

I'm 12 weeks today and on an upswing in terms of how I feel - less nauseated, a tiny bit more energetic, definitely more motivated.  Now I'm getting ready to embark on the stage that involves figuring out the nursery and starting to knit/sew/crochet stuff.  I have grand ideas delusions of being insanely crafty and have to keep reminding myself that things bought in stores are ok too.  I also won't know the gender for another 4 weeks or so, which means keeping myself to pretty neutral stuff in the meantime.  Then there's also the issue of making room for baby in the room that has been designated for my craft stuff up until now...destash time I think!

So, all in all, I'm going to be busy as hell, but all for a worthy cause and I can't wait to get started.  :)

Daily Craft - WTF was I thinking?

You probably don't remember this post from last year where I shared my chevron baby blanket crochet project.  I worked on it diligently for a while, then decided to bring it into work to continue on my lunch breaks.  It was tucked away for a while in a bag, sad and neglected.  Recently I decided I should probably continue with this project and have been crocheting a little bit at a time. 

I think it's coming along really nicely and I love how it looks - but I'm using fingering weight yarn!  OK, seriously, wtf was I thinking?  I must be mad.  At this rate, I'll be done with it by 2014.  Thankfully, I started this project without a specific baby in mind - because any planned recipient would probably be in first grade by the time it's actually finished.  So, lesson learned - tiny yarn for tiny baby doesn't make for a quick project...even if I do think it's adorable. 

Share your "wtf" moments with me!  I need some support.  :)

Daily Craft - Hard to resist

Seeing as I got out of work early today, I decided to take in my car for it's 60K mile tune-up and while waiting for them to call and tell me it's ready, I decided to steal husband's car and head off to Joann's Fabric.  I figured it was a good way to spend an hour wandering aimlessly.  Also, I had one of those "coupon commotion" flyers they send out once in a while and I certainly can't pass up a good deal!  

Apparently I also can't pass up cute baby flannel prints with cartoon animals either.  Having perused all the aisles, I decided up on these adorable prints and also grabbed some terry cloth.  I anticipate burp cloths and bibs coming off the sewing machine soon.

Speaking of Joann, if you sell on Artfire, you can now become a VIP member which allows you a 10% discount on everything (including sale items).  Not a bad deal if you ask me. Check out this link to enroll!

Daily Craft - Pretty in pink (and purple)

Months ago, I got a total steal at the local thrift store involving 5 bags of yarn with a retail value of probably $400+, for the bargain price of $30.  One of those bags had about 40 balls of fingering weight cotton yarn in about 16 different colors.  I can only assume that at some point, somebody bought them intending to make a gigantic blanket of some kind, then concluded that making a blanket like that in fingering weight yarn would be sheer insanity. 

The yarn has been sitting there just asking me to do something awesome with it and I recently decided to make a blanket with it, as I believe was originally intended, using this pattern.  I'm making it baby blanket sized instead of full sized (hey, somebody I know is bound to have a baby girl sometime!) and it has to be said that my initial trepidation that it would still take forever with such thin yarn is gone.  I'm already a quarter way into it and really happy with how it's turning out.

I'm only using 4 of the 16 colors that I have so once I'm done with this one, I'm wondering if I should make an adult sized blanket with the rest of it.  I'm thinking I'll stick with crochet because it'll be so much faster than knitting it on tiny needles.  Getting through it quicker will also help prevent the WIP (work in progress) hibernation factor - like the sweater that's been sitting in the closet, on the needles, half finished, for 18 months now.  If you have a favorite crochet blanket pattern, please share as I'm open to suggestions!