Hello,

We are here asking for help to finish Erik's adoption of Dakota because we are taking on the entire cost ourselves. We still have a home study that will cost 1000 dollars and many other legal fees that will cost at least 5000 before we can finally say this is over and our son Dakota can legally be a Haley.

So here is the bulk of Dakota's story.

I'm sorry for how long this has been going on. This is normal for those who don't know me, as I need to provide all the information I can.

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In 2020, I gave birth to a wonderful little boy, Dakota, whom I nicknamed Koala and named after a dear friend who passed away in 2016. Dakota was the bright light in my life during the COVID-19 shutdown. I broke up with his biological father a week after having Dakota because we were not good together, but I tried hard to co-parent with him and make sure he could see Dakota as often as possible.

In early 2021, I met my fantastic Husband, Erik, who had helped me raise Dakota from the moment we got together when he was only two months old and has not left our side since. He supported Dakota's biological father, and I co-parented, and he helped me in any way he could. We went to meditation in 2021 for a custody arrangement; Bio's father only asked for standard visitation and nothing more. We made that work for a little while, then in 2022, he became very inconsistent with his visits and missed more than he made, so I worked with him; we agreed to change things around so his other child and Dakota could see each other. He was still inconsistent, no matter how hard I tried to help him.

Erik and I decided in March 2023 that it was time to change things legally due to Dakota's inconsistency, so we talked with our lawyer and started the process for a custody modification. The Biological father was served in early August 2023 court after our lawyer made many attempts to get him to agree to another custody plan.

On August 12th, 2023, I received a text message from him (bio) saying he was bringing Dakota home early after only having him for 24 hours. That was the last time he saw or spoke to Dakota.

He has never helped with medical expenses but, thankfully, has paid minimal child support.

We went to court on September 22nd, 2023, and the first words the bio father said to my lawyer were, "We do not need a hearing; I'm signing over my rights." So, my lawyer wrote up documents for temporary orders that day while at court, and the judge signed them off. The lawyer then sent the bio father a permanent document, which he took six months to sign and return to the lawyer.

So my husband Erik, the only father Dakota has ever known, is adopting Dakota as his own.

Dakota does not even act like he remembers his biological father and is in therapy for all the trauma he has been through with that side of his family and the sudden loss of that entire family just leaving his life.

We have since been trying to pay the bill, but the fees are outrageous.

Erik is the best fathee I could ask for to raise Dakota into the man I can only drwam he will be. He loves, supports, and shows him how to do anything he wishes.

We are here asking for help to finish out the cost of the adoption because we are taking on the entire cost and still have a home study and other legal fees before we can finally say this is over. Our son Dakota can finally legally be a Haley.

01-13-2025—We are on our way to California for some family matters. We are trying to make the best of it for Dakota by letting him see the sights, not understand. We are very blessed that we have family helping us find places to stay along our trip.

Thank you for reading and taking the time; if you can not donate, please share this so we can get as much help as possible.