My fairy godmother

Everyone should have a fairy godmother. My fairy godmother has red hair, drinks beer, and is the Boy Scout of mothers. She is always prepared. She is my aunt Heather.

During our most recent vacation, we decided to mix it up (and save some cash) by flying directly from Tokyo to Chicago. Yes, I know I've said before NEVER flying into OHare, but I have to admit, that direct flight was nice. Olivia did the best she has ever done on the plane, mostly contributed to the fact that our plane left Tokyo at 6 p.m. and she hadn't napped all day. After dinner, pajamas, and a short struggle that lasted 3 and half hours, she fell asleep spread across my lap.

But sleep was only a fantasy for me. Every 20 to 40 minutes, Olivia would wake up crying, so I would gently turn her over, rub her back, and hush her back to sleep. I did that for the remaining 10 hours of our flight. Not to mention that I was fighting some kind of nasty head cold, so my ears wouldn't pop.

We touched down in OHare in the afternoon, found our luggage, survived customs and immigration, before climbing into our spacious rental car that was listed as a compact. I couldn't touch Olivia's forehead from the front seat. So unusual.

We arrived at my aunt and uncle's house outside of Chicago in the evening. Exactly what time, I have no idea. Time means nothing after I've flown literally halfway across the world, haven't slept and am surviving on coffee. I remember the food, though. It was delicious. Olivia was happy to play with my cousins, who are closer in age to her than me. And Benny was excited to drink beer, and snuggle in an Iowa State Snuggie.

This brings me to my fairy godmother, Heather. Heather took great care of Benny, Olivia, and I. She let us borrow the best Pack and Play in the world, so Olivia had a place to sleep during our trek. She bought Olivia diapers, wipes, food, snacks, cottage cheese (which she is totally grossed by), and countless other goodies to keep Olivia entertained and prepared for the road trip to Minnesota. All I had to do was pack enough food and diapers for the flight. Heather took care of the rest and let me tell you it was wonderful. It saved me the panic of driving to the first Target we saw when we got on the ground or packing one suitcase with all these essential items.

Her thoughtfulness started our trip on the right tone. Like I said, every mom should have a fairy godmother like Heather when they travel internationally. Thanks again, Heather.