Kiya and her "fuzz"

One of the things I love about my daughter, Kiya, is that she is definitely unique. She is herself. She is quirky, and funny, and sweet, opinionated, stubborn, lovable and she knows what she wants! These are qualities in her I hope to maintain...I'm just hoping I don't impose any of my insecurities on her. I love her exactly the way she is.

One of her more "unusual" tendencies, which is often commented on, is her fascination with fuzz. Fuzz aka feathers, or anything soft. In the direst of circumstances she will resort to lint, or even cat fur to replace the fuzz. People often ask me (and I do mean OFTEN) how I got her into the fuzz, but like I said, she is her own girl. She knows what she wants.

The boa I bought her before it was dismantled systematically by Kiya

It all started when she was younger (and yes I know she is only 2 but go with me on this one). One day my mom bought Kiya these dress up shoes, because she loves dressing up. They had a string of "fuzz" or feathers across the foot. Kiya just ripped the fuzz off and walked around carrying it EVERYWHERE. Finally it got kind of dingy and gross, so I bought her a boa thinking she would love it. She just ripped pieces of it until she had what she wanted. She seems to want a small amount that she can hold in her hand. She moves it around in her hand, and sometimes moves it around while sucking on her thumb.

Notice the fuzz in her hand? I have countless photos of this...you would think she would drop the fuzz when she sleeps, but nope

Her fuzz fascination has evolved now. She now color coordinates her fuzz with her outfits. I have been know to pack "emergency" fuzz and her school has some as well. My mother in law bought her a skirt that had pieces of feathers on it. She ripped all of the feathers off of the skirt one by one so that she could hold them. You can always tell where Kiya is because sometimes she leaves a trail of fuzz. This has led for us to get what we refer to as a "fuzz box".

Kiya knows that whenever she needs fuzz, she can just go into the playroom and get herself a new fuzz. We have had to retire fuzz when it gets gross, and she tends to understand when the fuzz needs to retire. However, she needs to approve that the fuzz is ready to be given its burial. She accidentally flushed some blue fuzz down the toilet one day when she was with my friend Katie and according to Katie, you would think the world had just ended. They ended up walking to the store to get some fresh fuzz.

Again, I did not teach my daughter this fuzz fascination, but I do think it is adorable. It just shows her unique personality...and I love her for it!