Click here for a compilation of all the clues and theories about The Mother!

If you’re wondering who the mother is on How I Met Your Mother, I may have another piece of the puzzle! I could be wrong, of course, but it seems pretty logical to me. First, let’s consider “Matchmaker” from Season 1. In this episode (1-7), Ted signs up for a matchmaking service, but is not matched up with anyone suitable.

There is one match – a 9.6 out of 10 – but she (Sarah O’Brian) is already matched up. Undeterred, Ted sneaks into the office to print the info sheets for Sarah. He reads them and learns her occupation, guilty pleasure song, likes and dislikes, etc. He is able to locate her and meet her in person, but she is engaged to her match and not interested.

Ok, now let’s skip ahead to “Milk”, episode 1-21. Ted receives a phone call from the new owner of the matchmaking agency, informing him that his match has been found. Ted ponies up the $500 needed for her information, and receives her file in return. We see 10 photos (shown here above and below) with the faces blurred out, that indicate she is Ted’s perfect match:

So I read the file, and by God this woman was perfect. She liked dogs, she spent her summers in North Carolina, she played bass guitar, she did the Times crossword, she played tennis, she liked old movies, her favorite food was lasagna, and her favorite book was Love in the Time of Cholera. Her favorite singer was Otis Redding and she wanted two kids, a boy and a girl.

The photos are either in the file, or what Ted is imagining based on her profile information. The last one, at least, has to be imagined, because it shows two young children that she presumably wished to have someday. The only issue with this is how the picture shows a little girl and her older brother, while the siblings on the show seem to be an older sister and her little brother. In real life, the actress who plays the daughter (Lyndsy Fonseca) is two years older than David Henrie, who plays the son. So I’m not sure, but I’m still intrigued.

Notice anything else interesting about this pictures? Half of them show the woman wearing a silver ring on her right ring finger. I suspect it might be a little clue for the discerning fans and not just an oversight. Now look at these two photos of the children – one from the pilot episode, and one from season six:

A silver ring! Could be coincidence, sure, but I like the idea of it being the mother’s ring, gifted to her daughter. The daughter wears her ring on her left middle finger though – maybe it’s still too big for her ring finger? I don’t know!

There is one more issue to consider, and that has to do with hair color. Most fans are pretty convinced that the mother will have dark hair, because of the “alternate reality” scene in “Shelter Island”, episode 4-5. It seems that Ted plus a blonde woman equals blonde kids, and therefore the mother of his brunette kids must also be a brunette. I can’t tell if the woman in these pictures has blonde or brown hair – what do you think? I also noticed that they didn’t remove the background items, which include the little yellow bus that we later discover belongs to the mother. There are also some of the same framed prints and decorations behind them.

A final thought…we never find out the name of Ted’s match. They schedule a blind date, and Ted is able to contact her to delay their meeting when Lily needs him ASAP. It seems likely that he would know her name, don’t you think? Especially since he paid for the full file and didn’t just print and steal a summary sheet. If he knew Sarah O’Brian’s name, I think he should have known the match’s name as well. So why do we never hear it?

In the season 5 episode, “Rabbit or Duck”, Ted asks Lily and Marshall to set him up, and they consider women from his past. They mention Trudy (married), Blah Blah (committed – relationship? no, Bellevue), and Natalie (Ted is her least favorite person in the world), but they never think of the “Milk” maiden. Based on prior episodes, neither Natalie nor Blah Blah are viable options!

So why didn’t the writers let us in on her name? And why is she still a mystery, never again mentioned despite several opportunities throughout the seasons? I think it’s because she’s the mother, and so it has to wait. What do you think? Also, stay tuned for more posts with clues about the identity of the mother, including but not limited to:

The woman that brushes by Ted in “No Tomorrow” (St. Patrick’s Day episode 3-12)

The clues found in Cindy’s apartment in “Girls Versus Suits” (episode 5-12)

Tracking the yellow umbrella

Ted as Barney’s best man, and why I’m sure he marries Robin