I would skip the aeration since it is turning into a lengthy process and get the seed down quickly.

I would water the soil, and aerate not just because you want to aerate, but if you just apply seed to a dry, hard surdace, you will lose it all to runnoff when it does finally rain. Will you be core aerating? I just redid my lawn yesterday. I rented a power rake and went over my lawn twice, cleaning up in between. removed seven bags of dead thatch from 1800 sq. feet. I then cut it short, and watered for 30 minutes. After that I aerated with a tractor pulled spike aerator. went over it about 10 times and then applied seed and fertilizer. I would HIGHLY recomment this method it was awesome. I cant wait to see the results. Good Luck