And now for something completely different...

Well, now that the homestudy paperwork has been submitted, we've started looking for a home to buy. We are both very impressed with Greenbelt Homes, a co-op community started as a New Deal initiative in the 1930s. Most of the buildings were built in the 1930s and early 40s so they are very sturdy! We went to an information night, because a co-op is not quite like a condo--see the website's section "what is a cooperative?" for details. (No, it's not like a commune...much)

We saw our first townhouse (most of the community is made up of townhouses in blocks of 4 or so) Monday night. It's a 2-bedroom, small but nicely built and impeccably maintained (though we weren't crazy about the paint colors in a couple of the rooms.) The coop rarely allows rentals or sublets so just about everyone has "buy-in" to the welfare of the place, and they're big on preventive maintenance.

We're looking at the frame-construction 2-bedrooms. As I said, small but there's storage space (an attic crawlspace where you can stand up in the middle--I said I'd send Ken up there with his laptop though with a baby he may want to go there for peace and quiet!) There are also family events both in the coop community and in the town. And, as the name implies, trees and a woodland trail (and playgrounds!)

Lastly, Ken's commute would be about 1/2 hour each way; mine would be about 45 min.

On the adoption front, we meet one more time with our social worker next Wednesday, and the paperwork is in process. We should get the "green light" from the agency in a month or two. In the meantime we've been encouraged to select pictures for a family photo album and to start writing a "dear birthparent" letter for people considering placing a baby for adoption, so they can see what wonderful parents we would make!