Yesterday I had a nightmare. While I was awake.

When we matched in Texas I had nightmares about really big bugs. Dinosaur like bugs. For 2 straight weeks. Then as we prepared to move and actually moved here, one of my new fears became walking in the room and seeing my baby on the floor with a roach in her mouth. Or on her head. Or in the same room. Luckily, none of the roaches have gotten close to her. But yesterday, an uninvited creature raised the level of fear in our home by about 1000%.

My daughter and I were playing memory match on the floor in the front room. I received a text from my husband. While I was texting him back Liza jumped up and started running around. She headed to the couch, stepped on a pillow on the floor near the couch and came to a stop. I wasn't looking at her but I noticed she had stopped running and was standing by the couch. Nothing unusual at all. She always stands by the couch and plays with her figures. I continued to text with my husband. After what I assume was about a minute my daughter started screaming. The kind of cry/scream a child gives out when they are hurt or totally freaked out. She didn't move. She just cried. Hysterically. I was only a few feet away so I quickly crawled towards her and there it was. A giant, giant spider. About 2 inches from her foot crawling away. I had never seen a spider so big inside a house.... or really any indoor our outdoor places that they weren't on display or caged. Flattened out it could have easily spanned across my palm. It was huge. I think my heart stopped. Then started. Then stopped. Liza was frozen and just kept screaming. Tears streamed down her red cheeks and I feared she had been bit. Was it poisonous? Was she okay? Where had it come from? Was it on the couch and she picked it up? Did it crawl across her? Did it bite her? Did it touch her? Why was it in my house? How did it get in? How long had she been watching it? A million thoughts ran through my head as I watched it crawl around the couch. I needed something hard. My flip flop. But it was crawling on the skirt part of the couch...I wouldn't be able to smash it. It was getting close to the corner and I might lose my chance. It started crawling up the couch. That was a solid surface, now I could kill it. But what if it moves too fast and I miss? What if it jumps? What if.... then I remembered my screaming child next to me. BAAM....BAAM! BAAM! BAAM! I smashed it over and over until it curled into a little ball. Then I rubbed it...then I smashed it. Spiders have been known to curl up and play dead, then crawl away when you aren't looking. So I uncurled it and smashed it until I was certain it was dead. I had murdered it. Willingly and viciously murdered it. And now I had to get rid of it. I didn't want to vacuum it, then it would be in my vacuum. I didn't want to feel it through a paper towel. What was I to do? Once again I remembered my screaming child next to me. I grabbed her and gave her a hug. I knew I needed to check for a bite. But I couldn't leave the creature unattended. He might just sneak away. So I grabbed a paper towel...or two...and took him to the garbage. I shoved him down as far as I could, tied up the bag and took him to the trash. He was not welcome to lie dead in my home. I came back to Liza and took off her clothes in search for a bite. I found nothing. She wouldn't stop screaming so I turned on a video. She stopped. After a few deep breaths she had calmed down. Dora saved the day. But it wasn't that easy for me! I couldn't stop thinking about where it had come from and where had it touched her. So gross. So absolutely disgusting. I called my pest control guy and explained the spider to him in hopes to know if it was poisonous. He asked if it was a Brown Recluse...I was certain it wasn't. They aren't that big. When I said it was the biggest spider I had ever seen he immediately replied, "That's a wolf spider." He then told me that even if it had bitten her it shouldn't be dangerous. I always love that. Shouldn't. Not isn't. But shouldn't. I then got on the internet and googled "wolf spider." I found BIG and TEXAS and BIGGER IN TEXAS and BIGGEST IN TEXAS all across the page. I guess it's a pretty popular spider in these parts of town. Funny I've never seen one. And hope I never do again. Either way, it was a nightmare. I have seen a lot of things in Texas, but none of them got to me quite like this creature did. Who is he to think he has the right to crawl around my baby? Or on my pillow? Or in my house?

Now tell me...

wouldn't you freak out if this was crawling in your house?

I cant' even stand to look at the pictures. 

This is a picture I found on google that shows just how big it was. Disgusting.