Wow, I had to check I wasn't about to answer my own post.
We are in almost exactly the same situation except we've been together 6 years and our kids are 2.5 and 10mo.
We're not as organised as you and I'm still doing the kids Australian Citizenship by descent. As soon as possible we will get DH's Visa application in but can't see it being before November.
I am due to go back to work in December but, like you, the cost of childcare makes this pointless (and I'm on a good wage).
On the other hand, we can't afford to live on one wage and are eating into savings every month we are here so the only option is to get out of here as fast as we can.
I've considered the possibility of going to Oz on my own to start working and DH to follow when his Visa is through and house is sold. My situation is probably a little different in that most of the jobs that come up for me are in expensive areas of Sydney. This makes it uncertain whether it is economically worthwhile because I'd have to pay long day care for two children under three, plus rent accommodation on my own for the three of us. At this stage we are going to just live on savings for up to a year. There's also a lot of organising as far as shipping, selling house, applying for citizenships, passports etc for myself and kids so I'm planning to take charge of all this while DH is working.
Current processing time on the London Consulate website is 8-9mo for partner visas, which is why we're allowing a year. I also wish I'd got off my b*m and applied sooner as I was remembering that last time I looked it was showing 5mo processing time.
Good luck and keep us posted on what you decide to do.
