[dlwcfp1]

I had a few thoughts as I read your email. If you have already thought of these please disregard.

First - have you factored in what you will "save" in taxes when you apply for the adoption credit when the adoption is final? It is about $10,900 for 2006.

Have you considered getting the home equity, taking advantage of the tax advantages on the interest and rather than paying off your HE loan maybe you could pay off other debt that does not offer tax advantages like your car(s) or credit cards. You may also consider a home equity line of credit as opposed to a home equity loan. Typically the rate on a LOC fluctuates so in a market where interest rates are going up that isn't great, but if you plan on paying it off early it may still be a viable option. Those typically don't have a prepayment penalty.

You may also want to consider borrowing from a 401k plan if you have one and have enough in it to borrow. Depending on the plan administrator they usually let a person borrow up to 50% of the value of the account. The interest that you pay back you pay back to yourself. The downside is that if the market is performing at a higher interest rate than what you are paying back to yourself in interest you are missing out on some growth.

You may also play the credit card "game" depending on your available line of credit. Alot of times they will offer low interest rates for fixed periods of time and when the time runs out move the balance to another card. Just be aware that you have to be extra diligent on making sure you make payments on time or they will raise your interest rate. If you adjust your with-holdings to have less money with-held for taxes (after your adoption is final) to counter act the adoption credit the difference could provide you with the monthly payment with money you are not used to in your budget. (Consult your CPA/tax advisor) Just a few ideas....