I know what you mean. It's not personal though but most ppl here do tend to decide for you eventhough they're not working for HO. It's the way ppl say things sometimes that makes me angry. I know most ppl are talking through experience and trying to be realistic but killing someone's hope will not help them either. As you and everyone of us who have or are going through this horrible ordeal, you know it's a very emotional time of our lives esp if you don't have support from your own family. My family doesnt want to have anything to do with me as I gave birth out of wedlock. Couple of years ago, I had to deal with US embassy and despite what ppl said, i beat the odds and got my visa. Some would say I was lucky but personally i think it's how you present your case and I did it without help or any consultation from solicitor. We all know the US authorities is much worst than here in UK, atleast here we have the Europe and Human Rights. I know what a b*****ds these ppl can be but (call me naive) I'm just trying to have faith in this. There is no way in hell I would leave my baby here and trust me, I will fight!!Sorry if you felt that way but it is not up to us, forum members to decide whether you should be issued with a LTR or not. I can't speak for everyone but having been in a similar situation myself I wouldn't wish it to anyone, especially someone like you with a small baby. You have enough sleepless nights as it is. But the thing is when it comes to the Home Office I hold no illusion. That bunch of robots are notorious for rejecting many (most?) applications that are just a bit out of the standard requirements. I've seen many strong applications on this forum over the past few years which unfortunately got rejected.
I didn't intend to scare you, however if you are planning on applying in-country then you have to be prepared for the fight. But as the saying goes "prepare for the worst but hope for the best".
Tasha: Are you appealing now?