I'll have the mouse, well done, please!

A few posts ago I mentioned that we had to be out of our apartment April 1^st, which is just around the corner.  Luckily, for us, things have changed.

We asked Rosie, the women from whom we rent the unit, if we could stay through the summer, while the apartment is up for sale.  She agreed and we’re staying put for a little bit longer, given the apartment doesn’t sell and close before August.

The 5-month extension gives us the opportunity to save more money and think about what our small, but growing, family needs in terms of apartment amenities, size, and location.  Originally, I thought that having a baby in the city would be hard and encourage us to relocate to the ‘burbs.  However, to my surprise and Jeff’s relief it’s actually, really enjoyable.  

We feed her veggies....

We briefly considered buying in Brooklyn.  I spoke with a mortgage broker and met with a great real estate agent.   She showed me a few listings online that were within our price range and we talked about the costs associated with buying property.  She also said that we should be willing and able to stay in the property for five or more years.

That’s the deal breaker.  We can afford a small 2-bedroom apartment, such as the one we are currently in, but not one that will work for us five years from now.   Five years from now, Colette will be in kindergarten and I’m sure she’ll have a sibling or two.   At the very least we’ll need 3 bedrooms and at the most, we’ll need an in-ground pool and two-car garage (the latter two don’t exist in Brooklyn, and if they did, we seriously couldn’t afford them).  We’re okay with renting, so long as we continue to put away money so that we can buy a home when the time is right.

but she prefers to eat a stuffed mouse

Speaking of small, but growing, we have begun feeding Colette solid foods.  This morning I mashed up a little avocado and breast milk.  She ate it, kind of.  She pushed it out with her tongue, but then opened her mouth for more.  Every baby-related website, book and parenting magazine encourages making your own baby food.  Eh, I feel bad saying this, but I don’t want to.  I have no problem mashing up bananas or a sweet potato, but I’m not about to turn my kitchen into a scene from Baby Boom.  I’m confident Earth’s Best does a better job at pureeing prunes than I would.