Every Morning Single Mom Finds New Toy in Son’s Crib, Decides to Install a Camera in His Room — Story of the Day

A single mother is shocked to discover new toys in her baby's crib every morning, so she decides to put a camera in his room. She is taken aback by what she discovers along the way.

When Katie and Eric Newmann couldn't conceive children, they did not hesitate to pursue adoption. They decided on welcoming a newborn, and that's how baby Leo came into their lives.

Leo was only a month old, and he had beautiful eyes. Katie and Eric fell in love with him in an instant, and having him in their lives felt like the completion of their world. However, just one month after Leo's adoption, Eric died in a plane crash, leaving Katie all alone.

After Eric's passing, Katie was heartbroken, knowing that the love of her life would never be with her again. As she slept on their bed, she could feel his side of the bed cold and empty, which triggered her tears every time. At one point, she felt she needed a therapist to cope with the loss as she felt she was going insane.

For instance, one week ago, she'd forgotten to feed Leo for a whole day, and the other day, she'd left the car keys in her car and was frantically hunting for them everywhere. She'd also begun to suspect that her memory was failing her, which is why when she discovered a teddy bear in Leo's crib one morning, she thought she'd gone nuts and couldn't remember the smallest of details.

"I haven't seen this teddy before! How did it even…Or wait, have I? I'm so sorry, Leo," Katie sobbed that morning, sitting beside Leo's crib, shivering in fear that she wouldn't be able to go on like that any longer. "I - I love you, baby! But mama…she – she just misses daddy."

The next morning, when Katie checked Leo's crib, she found a new toy again. This went on for another two days in a row. At that point, Katie broke down, wondering why she didn't recognize any of Leo's toys.

Katie was devastated after Eric's death. | Source: Pexels

She went to the bathroom, sprayed water over her face, and looked in the mirror. She couldn't believe how tired she looked. All that stress must be making her insane, she thought.

The next day, Katie decided to install cameras in Leo's room to find out more about those new toys. She was sure she wasn't the one who put them there, but she had doubts too.

Minutes after installing the camera, she sat in the living room, watching the live feed. There was nothing out of the ordinary for the entire day. It showed her going in to feed and play with him and leaving after.

However, when she checked the feed at 8 p.m., a shock ran through her. She saw a shadow in Leo's room – it looked like someone approached his crib, placed something in, and just disappeared.

Katie dashed over to Leo's room and noticed one of the windows was open. She grabbed Leo in her arms and saw the toy the intruder placed on his crib. Realizing she wasn't crazy after all and that someone had, in fact, been breaking into their house leaving toys for Leo, she locked his door from outside, still shivering.

Katie saw a figure approach Leo's crib. | Source: Unsplash

The next morning, the first thing she did was go to the cops and submit a video recording of what transpired. The cops advised her to keep the doors and windows secured, and she did that. But that night, she heard a strange noise coming from Leo's room.

She took light steps toward the door and rested her ear on it. She heard the sound of window shades being moved. Was the intruder attempting to enter through the window? Katie was shivering in fear.

She quickly grabbed her phone and dialed 911. Fortunately, a unit was patrolling her neighborhood at the time, so the cops arrived at her house within minutes and caught the man standing against Leo's crib, clutching a soft toy.

"Hands up! Now! And turn back!" one of the officers yelled at him.

"Oh, my goddess! Who are you?" Katie cried, terrified while clutching Leo in her arms.

The man dropped the toy from his grasp and began crying. "I - I'm not a thief. I'm just here to see my son."

The intruder was a man who was leaving toys in Leo's crib every night. | Source: Unsplash

Katie looked at him, perplexed. "Son?"

"The baby you're holding…he's my son. I am his father. I swear to God, I'm not lying!"

"Look, sir," said the cop. "It makes no difference who you are. You're coming to the station, and that's where the real talk happens!" Another cop handcuffed him and began dragging him out of the house when Katie intervened.

"Just a minute, officer. If you don't mind, can I please have a word with him?"

The cop sighed. "Two minutes. That's all you get."

"I appreciate it."

Katie approached the man and asked, "If you're his biological father, why did you abandon him in an orphanage? No parent would ever do that to their child!"

The man's eyes welled up with tears. "I didn't have a choice," he said. "I was afraid of raising my son alone after my wife died. But I couldn't forgive myself for what I did. So I found your address and came to see him every night... I may not be able to see him again after today," he added, motioning to his handcuffs, "but please tell him when he grows up that his father loved him. And thank you for lovingly nurturing him. My name is Harry Jenkins, and I'll forever be grateful to you for that."

The man broke down as he shared his story. | Source: Pexels

Katie glanced down at baby Leo in her arms and then at Harry, and she realized how much they resembled one other. He wasn't lying. He was Leo's dad. So she made a choice.

"You may release him, officer. I'll take responsibility for him."

"Ugh, you sure, ma'am?"

After that day, Katie and Harry became good friends. Harry paid frequent visits to Leo and brought him new toys. In fact, Harry began spending more time at Katie's house than at his own, and the two finally fell in love.

When Leo turned 5, Katie and Harry decided to make take their relationship to the next leve and tied the knot. Leo looked like the most adorable best man in the world, and Katie was happy to have a beautiful family again.

What can we learn from this story?

• It is difficult to lose a loved one, but time heals all wounds. Katie eventually overcame Eric's loss and embraced a fresh start.
• In times of grief, we frequently blame ourselves for everything. Katie thought she'd gone insane after losing Eric when she found a new toy in Leo's crib. Thankfully, that wasn't the case.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about an 84-year-old mother who taught a "savage" lesson to her children after announcing she was moving to a nursing home.

This account is inspired by our reader's story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.