Short and sweet version: I'm 27, live in Texas, and my wife left when she was six months pregnant, both of our first child. I am almost positive that the baby is mine; we actually had a pretty good relationship up until the last two months.

She just.. left, though. All at once, no warning, just poof gone. She sent me an e-mail asking for old clothes/money a few days after leaving, then just nothing. I don't know if it's connected, but she dropped all contact after I replied to her e-mail that said "let me know if you want to be a part of her life and I'll work something out with visitation" with "I want to be her father, so I think 50/50 custody would work best, for her, me, you. Don't you think?"

She's blocked me on FB, all my family, too, she hasn't posted any relevant info about where she moved to, who she's living with, baby pics, nothing. I don't even know the name she chose for our daughter. I know the one we did, but I don't think she'll have let that happen. Last I'd heard it was going from "Julia" to "Aaleahya". Somehow that's the worst of it all..

Anyways, our baby has probably been born. Her due date was Christmas.

Here's the problem I could use some advice on: I make $24,000 a year until I graduate in another year. I met with a lawyer who seemed great, but charged $400 an hour. I want to meet my daughter, and I want get half custody. What can I do?