The Red-Eye

Emmett and I are taking the red-eye to Georgia tonight, and I'm only just a little bit terrified. Here's the plan (what I have so far):

I'll put him to bed, as always, by 7. Once he's down, I'll finish packing our carry-on bag, get everything packed into the car, and take a few deep breaths. A little before 10, once everything else is ready to go, I'll turn off all the lights in the house, sneak in to Emmett's room, and oh-so-gently pick him up and carry him down to the car, white noise in hand. I want to avoid waking him at all costs, but I'm not sure if it's possible.

We'll drive to the airport, hopefully with Emmett sleeping soundly in the back seat. Once we're there, Ray will unload the car, pack the carseat up into a travel bag (ahem, black trash bag) so we can check it, and I will do my best to get Emmett into the ERGO I borrowed from Corinna. The ERGO is black, so I'm hoping that if he's still sleeping, the head cover will block out most of the light as we walk through the airport. I'll have to take him out for security, so he's bound to wake up then, but after that it's back in the ERGO, and a little discreet nursing will hopefully help him back to sleep.

Because it's an overnight flight, I'm hoping the airport will be relatively quiet, and the plane mostly empty. I'd love a full row to spread out in. I plan to only bring the necessities:

• Stroller
• Diapers
• Wipes
• A few easy changes of clothes
• A couple pairs of slip-on shoes in case he wants to walk
• Books
• Snacks
• A new toy and a new book
• A pillow, a blanket for me, and a couple of blankets for Emmett
• White noise via our Kindle Fire
• Chargers for the Kindle and my iPhone

I want to carry as little as possible with us, as I'll certainly have my hands full with Emmett. The stroller will help to lug the diaper bag, and if he tolerates it, the ERGO should be a lifesaver. I plan to dress him in warm pajamas, and have a pair of slip-on shoes handy in case he wakes up and wants to roam.

We have to change planes at 6:30 a.m. Georgia time, 3:30 a.m. AZ time. That should be interesting. I plan on using my boob to keep him asleep/drowsy/in the ERGO. We have about an hour layover in Charlotte, then it's a short flight to Savannah where we arrive at 8:30 (5:30 AZ time). It's going to be a long night. I don't sleep well (read: at all) on planes, but I'll be able to nap to my heart's content once we arrive in Savannah. Emmett has always slept pretty much the entire flight when we've travelled in the past, but he's so much older now, so we'll just have to see.

Do y'all have any last minute advice for me? I'm trying to be really thoughtful and deliberate about the things I bring with us on the flight. Do you think my list is complete? Am I bringing too much, or too little? I'd appreciate any help you can give me!

Keepin' It Real: Bad Blogger

Linking up with Corinna over at Track 8!

I've been MIA on the blog the last few weeks y'all. I haven't felt like I've had much to say, so rather than whine or complain or just babble on about nothing, I've been sitting back and just.. not saying anything. I love this blog, and I love to write about our lives at the end of every day, but this month has been tough and I just haven't had it in me.

Work (I know, blah blah blah about her work again..) has been at the peak of the craziness the last two weeks and I think (knocking on wood) it's finally starting to quiet down. I've been so tired after each day at work that I clinb into my pajamas right when I get home and then climb into bed right after Emmett goes down. At like 7:30 most nights.

Part of that is sheer exhaustion but another part is I'm addicted to a book series! I'm sliiiiiiightly (but more than slightly) obsessed with Sherlock Holmes. The books- Amazing! The tv shows- all of them Amazing. The movies- SO AMAZING! Top two movies of all time status. Just before Robin Hood and then all the Twilights and don't even roll your eyes you know it's true.

I can't reread all of the Sherlock Holmes stories again because my husband won't let me, so I've been on the lookout for a similar series. Something British, centered around a detective, with lots of interesting who (or what!)-done-its. I've hit the jack pot ya'll, with the Inspector Rebus novels by Scottish Writer Ian Rankin. Oh man, am I hooked! I've been dying to jump into bed each night with my iPhone to read and read and read until I pass out. Some of the earlier novels aren't available on Kindle so I haven't read all of them, but so far, so so good.

I know this isn't an interesting post but this is my life right now. Work, my family, and Inspector Rebus. Ain't life grand?

Keepin' It Real: Working Late

Linking up with Corinna over at Track 8 for another installment of Keepin' It Real Mondays!

I had to work late today. Things are crazy at work and it was 5:40 before I finished answering emails for the day. That left me about an hour with Emmett before putting him to bed tonight.

Ray is working early and late this week, which means he gets maybe 15 minutes with Emmett in the mornings and he'll be asleep before Ray even comes hom in the evenings. I can't imagine what it would be like if long(er) hours were the norm for us.

Some days the hard/crazy/chaotic part of parenting isn't parenting at all. It's everything else. Oh, to be JUST a parent! To have no worries or cares or struggles except for making sure I'm the best parent I can be to my baby boy.