Adopting Alex!

Jacob: My life has been taken over by these two beautiful ladies. One of them (Kelly) even chose to legally marry me in 2019. And now, a few years later, the younger one (Alex) has also decided to involve the government in our relationship! How neat is that?

I've been playing out the day in my mind when I can finally call Alex my child with no stipulations or question, for a long time. There's a distance I desperately want to close, and we're nearly there. We just need a little bit of help in making sure that reality doesn't incapacitate us financially.

Kelly: As many of you know, Alex’s biological father made the decision 12 years ago to never be a part of her life. It was incredibly painful to have to try and explain this to a sad, beautiful baby. To explain why her biological dad chose not to be a part of her life while at the same time trying to ensure she understands it’s not her fault. We have re-lived this conversation, in one form or another, a few times every year. It never stops being heartbreaking. Seeing the pain and confusion in her eyes.

Three years ago, a wonderful man came into our lives. Jacob helped to provide a level of care, fun, and stability that we had not known without him. Two years ago, Jacob got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife and we legally became family. One year ago, Jacob got down on one knee and asked Alex to be his daughter.

It was an incredible moment, letting Alex know that she was such an amazing little person that Jacob was asking her if he could have the honor of being her Father.

After contacting an adoption lawyer and looking into the Wisconsin step-parent adoption process, we quickly learned that there are many associated costs we hadn't anticipated. We've needed to hire a lawyer with a substantial retainer fee and also pay for the state of Wisconsin to do an inspection/investigation to make sure our home is safe and the situation is right for Alex. We will then need to cover the cost of the court-appointed attorney (Guardian ad Litem) who will be representing Alex’s best interests. It's an expensive process.

We have saved up enough money to cover some of this, but not all. If you can help in any way, it would mean so much to us. To those who are unable to donate you can still help by sharing good vibes, wishes for us, and that the adoption will work out without issues.

Thank you everyone for all of your love and support. Alex deserves a good Father and she’s very close to getting one.

Alex: "It's happening. It's cool. There you go."