Newby here, desperate for some advice (thread 6)

[JRuss]

No one year wait here. My L this AM said minimum realistic time from file to full D is 100 days, mainly because you have to demonstrate that you've both gone to a co-parenting class and you have to get on the court's docket for things to be final.

If I held my ground and said no to the apartment model, she could move out and into a new place that could accommodate the kids' overnights, file, or stay in this zombie in-house thing. Complicating things is the need (or at least goal) of keeping our current house so that our youngest can stay in the excellent school for which he's zoned through this year and next. I'd likely file if she moved out to a stand alone 3bdr+ home if it weren't for the school zone issue, but by filing, I'd owe her half of the equity in the home, and I doubt I could swing that unless I were to refinance, and I haven't looked at that at all in terms of how much that would increase my monthly mortgage. I'll owe a not immaterial amount of monthly child support, too, and I'll never shirk that, but it adds to set costs each month.

Lots of not-fun stuff to consider, but it was sort of calming to talk all of this out with the L.