I live in tennesse I have been raising my wife daughter since she been 8 weeks pregnant we recently allowed the child farther in the picture and been letting him see her but he does not make an effort how do I go about adopting the child since I've been there and supported the child since the begaining?

He signs a consent for you to adopt the child, you file a Petition for Adoption, the appropriate home studies are done and it is granted or denied.

You cannot adopt the child without his consent.

Get an attorney. I would not attempt an adoption, even a step-parent adoption, without one. The attorney will detail everything you need to do.

I will note, that you really if he has a child visit order can't stop him from seeing his child. So while you may have "let him" see the child, if he does not have a order, you can't really stop him if he does.

It is great you are there for the child, but the bio dad will have to sign off to allow you to adopt.