I think I'll be six now forever and ever

A six year old lives at our house these days. We think, just like in A. A. Milne's poem, that she is as clever as clever.

I've never finished either of the girls' baby books. I will - probably this summer - and they are certainly important to me, but I've been feeling a call to document this age in a way that I haven't felt at earlier stages. I don't know if it's because I'm just not a baby person or because I'm finally in a mental place where these sorts of tasks don't send me into the fetal position, but six feels like a magical time to document and savor.

Just before Lorelei turned six, my favorite podcast suggested a daily haiku project as a happiness boost, the idea being to use it as a centering and reflective exercise or meditation. I seized on the idea as the basis for a year-long love letter and time capsule. I've been jotting down a "haiku" about Lorelei every day (I use that word quite loosely, as I'm following the syllabic structure but absolutely nothing else that fits with the nature of a true haiku) and I'm committing to at least one non-iPhone portrait of her each week. At the end of the year, I'll collect it all as a book for her to keep - a little window into her year of being six, so she might hang onto this feeling forever and ever, after all.

A few days after Lorelei's birthday, a card came in the mail with A. A. Milne's poem inside and a note from my aunt reminding me of my Gram's tradition of sharing that poem on every grandchild's sixth birthday - which made me all the more sure that this was the right project to take on. Below are the daily haikus I've collected so far. Hope to share more with you throughout this year.

5/24 Thrilled to finally

"receive your birthday card" - such

simple joys at six

5/25 Rolling down the block

in new fuchsia rollerskates 

Proud and determined 

5/26 Little scientist

investigate as colors

change before your eyes

5/27 Pool birthday party

Swimming even during cake

Lifeguard for your friends 

5/28 Manatee rider

Up and down you glide along

Brief carousel flight 

5/29 Too cold for Hopkins

but you insist on sprinkler

playtime anyway 

5/30 Hard to go to school

when Grandma is visiting

Countdown to summer 

5/31 Field trip day at last

Strong arms and determined face

Inch by inch you pull

6/1 Cried at lunch again

Haven't done that since the fall

Endings are hard, too 

6/2 Track and Field today

Full of stories, flushed, happy

Traditions begin

6/3 Big pool slide, first time

Your courage is contagious

and your joy is too