Haven't gone to court yet. Seems everyone is going on vacation..judges...lawyers...
So the hearing is rescheduled for Aug. 5. We don't have an attorney. (that is a WHOLE other story) H is going to represent himself. We are going to drive to the county where the hearing will be and sit in on the judge's cases for the day. So we have an idea how he handles his cases. I have looked up more statues than a real lawyer. I have even thought about going back to college to become a paralegal after all of this is over.
We still haven't seen OC yet.
My family came over for July 4th and my sisters and I had a talk. I told them how I felt about them not calling and ignoring what I am going through. They all apologized and said they would try harder to be supportive.
If anyone has some suggestions concerning representing yourself in court, I would love to hear from ya.

I haven't represented myself in custody proceedings, but have worked closely with the attorney representing me. My case took five years to resolve. It went from the local trial court to the state supreme court. While providing valuable insight into the court process, it has not been a necessarily good thing for the OC.

That said, I think it helps immeasurably to have an attorney, unless the other party is not strongly contesting your petition. Is it primarily that your H wants custody and/or the OW is requesting support?

The most important guidance that I can give is that you support your arguments with facts that can be proved and that are in line with existing case law. If you fail on either of these two criteria, the opposing attorney and the judge will dismiss or reject your arguments, no matter how much sympathy you might garner for your case. The judge knows that the appeal process will reflect on his or her decision, and the reflection will demand that the decision be supported by case law.

Best wishes to you in your upcoming battle.