Last night my baby ate a dead spider.

I almost called poison control but my husband said it would be okay. He was taking a nap when it happened, so I went in to wake him up and ask him if he thought I should worry. Groggily, he said no. I shut the door. It didn't look like an especially dangerous type of spider, but there is a feeling that comes from looking at your baby and recognizing that she has something in her mouth - what is it? Probably just a thorn burr that the dog has been carrying around in his fur for a while. It's not unusual for her to eat those. But thorn burrs don't usually disintegrate and what are those little black stringy things hanging out of her mouth? Spit it out in Mommy's hand, honey...what is that? Oh dear God no. I wondered for a moment if rinsing her mouth out with soap was a good idea. I took a deep breath and reminded myself of all the stories of kids eating bugs and dirt and dog food and I then was able to reassure myself that I would just keep an eye on her. After all, the dog eats those spiders all the time. Pity he didn't catch this one earlier.