All my right shoes kept disappearing, and I was at my wit’s end trying to figure out why. When I finally uncovered the truth, it was about something far deeper and more heartbreaking than just a missing shoe.
When I married Randy, I never imagined how much my life would change. His house was enormous, bigger than anything I had ever lived in.
A mansion in winter | Source: Pexels
It was the kind of place that felt like a mansion compared to my old apartment. But what made it feel like home wasn’t the size or the fancy furniture. It was Randy and Martha.
Martha was his six-year-old daughter, and she was the sweetest little girl. From the moment I met her, she started calling me “Mom.” Randy had been raising her alone since she was a toddler, and I admired how close they were.
A father hugging his daughter | Source: Pexels
Living with Randy’s family took some getting used to. His mother and sister lived with us, too. His mom, Evelyn, was the no-nonsense type. She was always busy with gardening, cooking, or knitting scarves no one seemed to wear. Randy’s sister, Tammy, was younger, still figuring out life, and spent most of her time on her phone.
At first, everything felt perfect. Everyone seemed happy with the arrangement, and I didn’t mind sharing the space. The house was so big, we could go hours without running into each other. But then, something odd started happening.
A big family dinner | Source: Pexels
One morning, I got up early for my gym session. I was half-asleep when I went to grab my sneakers. I found one, but the other was missing.
“Where’s the right one?” I muttered, searching under the bed. Nothing. I checked the closet, the bathroom, and even the kitchen. Still nothing.
A woman searching for her shoe | Source: Midjourney
I ended up wearing an old pair of flip-flops to the gym that day. I thought I must’ve misplaced the shoe somehow, but it didn’t feel right. I always kept them together by the door.
The next day, it happened again. This time, it was my favorite pair of Birkenstocks. The left one was exactly where it should be, but the right was gone.
One single shoe | Source: Pexels
By the end of the week, it was a pattern. Every time I needed a pair of shoes, the left one was there, but the right one had vanished.
“Randy, have you seen my sneakers?” I asked one morning while he was sipping his coffee.
He looked up from his laptop and shrugged. “Nope. Did you check the closet?”
A smiling man with a laptop | Source: Pexels
“Yes, and under the bed, and everywhere else.” I threw my hands in the air. “It’s like they’re disappearing. First my sneakers, then my Birkenstocks, and now my pumps. It’s ridiculous!”
He laughed. “Maybe the house is haunted.”
I rolled my eyes. “Very funny.”
I decided to ask Evelyn. If anyone had seen my shoes, it would have been her. She was always up early, cleaning or organizing something.
A woman cleaning a window | Source: Pexels
“Evelyn, have you seen my shoes? The right ones keep disappearing.”
She looked up from her knitting. “Your shoes? No, I haven’t seen them. Are you sure you didn’t leave them somewhere?”
“Absolutely not.”
She shook her head. “Maybe it’s Martha? Kids are sneaky.”
Martha? The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. She was always playing around, but I couldn’t imagine her hiding my shoes.
A puzzled woman talking to her mother-in-law | Source: Midjourney
“Martha,” I said that evening as I tucked her into bed, “have you been playing with my shoes?”
She looked up at me with big, innocent eyes. “No, Mom. I didn’t touch them.”
“Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I promise.”
Her answer seemed genuine, so I let it go. But the next morning, when another right shoe disappeared, I knew something wasn’t right.
An awkward suspicious woman | Source: Freepik
One afternoon, while searching for an old film camera in the pantry, I stumbled on something odd. Behind a stack of boxes was a dusty suitcase, half-open.
“What’s this?” I said to myself, pulling it out.
When I opened it, my heart dropped. Inside were all my missing shoes, neatly stacked.
“What in the world…” I whispered, staring at the bizarre collection.
A suitcase filled with single shoes | Source: Midjourney
My confusion turned to suspicion. The suitcase wasn’t mine, but I recognized it. It belonged to Evelyn.
I carried it to the living room, my chest tight with frustration and disbelief. Evelyn was sitting in her usual chair, sipping tea.
“Evelyn,” I said, holding up the suitcase, “can you explain this?”
Her brow furrowed. “Explain what?”
A surprised middle-aged woman | Source: Pexels
I opened the suitcase, showing her the shoes. “These. Why are my shoes in your suitcase?”
She stared at the shoes, then back at me, her face a mixture of confusion and defensiveness. “I have no idea. I’ve never seen them before.”
“How could you not know? It’s your suitcase!”
Evelyn set her tea down and crossed her arms. “I’m telling you the truth. I didn’t do this.”
A woman arguing with her mother-in-law | Source: Midjourney
Her tone was firm, but I didn’t know what to believe.
Frustrated and exhausted, I knew there was no more guessing. I needed answers. That evening, I called everyone into the living room. The suitcase of shoes sat in the center of the coffee table like a piece of evidence at a crime scene.
Randy arrived first, looking confused. “What’s this about?” he asked, gesturing to the suitcase.
A puzzled confused man | Source: Freepik
“I found my missing shoes,” I said firmly. “And I want to know who’s responsible.”
Evelyn walked in next, her expression already defensive. Tammy followed with earbuds in, scrolling on her phone. Martha trailed behind them, clutching her stuffed bunny.
I cleared my throat, trying to steady my voice. “I’ve been losing my right shoes for weeks. This morning, I found all of them hidden in Evelyn’s suitcase in the pantry.”
A woman talking in the living room | Source: Midjourney
Evelyn threw her hands up. “And I already told you, I don’t know how they got there! I don’t even go in the pantry except to grab flour.”
“Then who?” I asked, scanning the room. My voice wavered slightly, and I hated how desperate I sounded. “Someone in this house has been messing with me, and I need to know why.”
A puzzled woman in the living room | Source: Midjourney
Randy stepped forward, his brow furrowed. “Let’s not jump to conclusions,” he said, his tone calm but firm. “We’ll figure this out.”
Tammy looked up from her phone, finally catching on. “Wait, are you accusing us of stealing your shoes? That’s crazy.”
“I’m not accusing anyone,” I shot back. “I just need the truth.”
A young woman on her phone | Source: Pexels
The room went silent. The weight of the unspoken filled the air. Then, just as I was about to speak again, a small voice broke through the tension.
“It was me.”
I turned toward Martha, stunned. She stood near the doorway, tears streaming down her face, clutching her stuffed bunny tighter.
“What?” I whispered.
A crying girl near her dollhouse | Source: Pexels
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice trembling. “I took them. I didn’t mean to make you upset. Please don’t be mad.”
I blinked, trying to process her words. “You… took my shoes? Why, Martha?”
She looked down at the floor, twisting the bunny’s ear in her tiny hands. “I thought… if you didn’t have shoes, you couldn’t leave. You’d have to stay with me.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut.
A shocked woman | Source: Pexels
“Oh, honey…” Randy knelt beside her, his voice soft and gentle. “Why would you think she’d leave?”
Martha looked up at him, her face crumpling with fresh tears. “Because Mommy left. She didn’t say goodbye. She just… went away.”
The room grew still. Randy’s face was pale, his eyes glistening. Evelyn wiped at her own eyes with a tissue.
Martha turned to me, her little voice breaking. “I don’t want you to leave, too.”
An upset little girl | Source: Midjourney
I dropped to my knees in front of her, my chest aching. “Sweetheart,” I whispered, pulling her into my arms. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise you.”
She buried her face in my shoulder, sobbing quietly.
For a long moment, no one spoke. The weight of Martha’s pain hung heavy in the air.
Shocked people | Source: Freepik
“I’m so sorry, Martha,” I murmured. “I didn’t know you were feeling this way. But you don’t have to be scared. I love you, and I’m staying right here.”
Tammy cleared her throat. “Jeez, Martha, you could’ve just said something.”
Evelyn gave her a sharp look. “Tammy!”
“What?” Tammy muttered, looking embarrassed.
A woman looking away from her phone | Source: Midjourney
Randy stood and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Thank you,” he said softly, his voice filled with emotion.
Martha pulled back, her tears slowing. “You’re not mad?” she asked, her voice small.
“Not at all,” I said, wiping her cheeks. “I’m just glad you told me. You don’t have to hide anything from me, okay?”
She nodded, sniffling.
A crying girl looking to her side | Source: Pexels
As I tucked her into bed that night, I held her hand and promised her again: “I’m here, Martha. And I’m not going anywhere.”
Her small fingers gripped mine tightly. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too.”
A girl sleeping | Source: Pexels
As the house settled into its usual quiet, I sat on the edge of my bed, holding one of my reunited shoes. I turned it over in my hands, still amazed at how something so small had uncovered something so big.
I thought back to all the times I’d been frustrated, searching for shoes and feeling confused. In hindsight, it seemed so trivial. But for Martha, it had been her way of trying to protect herself from losing someone she loved.
A smiling woman in her bedroom | Source: Midjourney
The lesson wasn’t lost on me. Love requires patience and understanding, especially in a blended family. It’s about paying attention to what isn’t said and listening with more than your ears.
Mum Faced Backlash After Saying Her Baby is “Ugly” in a Viral Tiktok Video
Lucy Baehr didn’t see her daughter Reese as the cutest baby, but a mother’s love transcends mere looks. However, the story didn’t stop there; when she playfully posted her daughter in a TikTok challenge, she encountered a storm of criticism, which Lucy defied with her steadfast maternal affection.
Getting pregnant with Reese had its fair share of ups and downs
Lucy Baehr shared an experience that resonated with many mothers who eagerly anticipate the arrival of their newborn babies, expecting them to be undeniably cute. Hailing from Arkansas, her story took an unusual and humorous twist, capturing the online world’s attention.
Lucy’s journey to motherhood was a real rollercoaster. She’d faced the formidable challenge of infertility and experienced heartbreaking losses. But she was a loving mom to her daughter, Harper, and a dedicated stepmom to Cole. In September 2019, they added a third furry member to the family, a dog, hoping to fill that void in their lives.
Then, in February 2020, she dropped a bombshell: Lucy found out she was pregnant with a baby girl. The news left her overjoyed and, well, a little incredulous. When her daughter, Reese, finally arrived, Lucy’s first reaction was a mix of shock and humor.
She recalls the moment, saying, “I’m pretty sure I looked at my husband and was like, ’She’s healthy?’” It was a perfect way to sum up a surprise that life had thrown her way, making Reese’s arrival a bit less unique than they had anticipated.
“Her nose was incredibly swollen, and her eyes were beady.” The new mom also shared how looking back, not a single person, not even the delivery room nurses, tried to sugarcoat that Reese wasn’t exactly a poster baby for cuteness.
“People just didn’t comment on her appearance,” she laughed.
When Harper, Reese’s sister, got to hold her baby sibling for the first time, even she couldn’t help but notice the striking differences between them. While Baehr’s daughter was likely excited about becoming an older sibling, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at her mother and make a candid observation about Reese’s appearance, describing it as “weird.” Lucy, her mother, reassured Harper, telling her there was some truth to her observation.
The “ugly baby” Tiktok challenge
Most people know it’s almost taboo for mothers to admit their children might not be the cutest openly. Still, Lucy Baehr fearlessly ventured into that territory using TikTok. She joined in on a trend where people shared their experiences of expecting an adorable newborn but being surprised by reality. With a good-natured laugh, the mother of three proudly declared that she had taken the crown in that department!
When Baehr caught the trend of folks sharing photos of their “less-than-cute babies” on TikTok, she couldn’t resist jumping on the bandwagon. At one point, her video had been seen by almost 24 million people. It all turned into a big laugh, with some users jokingly suggesting that her daughter looked like Mr. Bean or Harry Potter’s Dobby!
Most of the comments from her TikTok followers were all in good fun. One person even quipped that Reese looked “like a villager.”
Another person playfully guessed that the little girl definitely took after her father. Someone else couldn’t help but sympathize with the idea that women endure nine months of nausea and drama, only for their kids to come out “looking like their dads.” Another added, “Newborns are rarely, if ever, cute. They’re a ‘trust the process’ kinda creature.”
However, while many on social media found Baehr’s post to be light-hearted fun, some didn’t share the sentiment. Some believed poking fun at a child was in bad taste and sharing such a clip on social media wasn’t right.
The new mom got a lot of heat for poking fun at her baby
Baehr opened up about the criticism she faced, with some people labeling her a “terrible mom.” Critics were concerned that her viral post might negatively impact Reese’s self-esteem. However, Baehr stood her ground, explaining that she was simply being honest.
The mother of three clarified that she intended to normalize the reality of how newborns often looked when they entered the world. She reassured everyone that Reese was perfectly fine. Baehr even pledged to share the story with Reese one day.
She also believed that her daughter would inherit her sense of humor. Her primary aim was to remind mothers that not all newborns fit the typical “perfect-looking” image, and that’s perfectly okay. She emphasized that her video wasn’t meant to be mean-spirited, and she knew Reese wasn’t ugly.
Lucy also shared an Instagram picture of her newborn baby, adding a heartfelt caption explaining the significance of Reese’s name. She deeply loved the little girl, saying, “You were loved long before you got here.”
The glow-up is real
But as a respectable princess, Reese has grown into a beautiful baby. Her mom finally gave her Instagram followers a peek at Reese almost three years after her birth, sharing more photos and even a video clip showcasing how pretty and lively her daughter had become. People in the comments couldn’t help but gush, calling Reese a “beautiful baby girl,” “absolutely precious,” and “a doll.”
Then, on November 4, 2022, Baehr dropped an Instagram video that captured how Reese had changed over the years. She revealed that it took her two years to put the clip together and that it had her feeling a bit emotional. The video showed Reese laughing, smiling, learning to crawl, playing with the family dog, taking her first steps, feeding herself, exploring the world, and transforming into the gorgeous little girl she is now.
Things have been looking up for Reese, who’s now nearly three years old. “Reese is gorgeous,” Baehr proudly said. “She has these huge blue eyes.”
However, Reese’s journey reminds us that beauty truly comes in all shapes and sizes. Her heartwarming transformation and her radiant spirit teach us to embrace our unique selves and appreciate the beauty in every child, no matter how they may look at birth.
Stories like this might sound strange, but they’re pretty common. Just see what other folks shared about their first encounters with their babies.
Preview photo credit lucybaehr / Instagram
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