Uli Plays House

Smiling for the camera, October 2011

I'm in the hallway. 

Knock, knock.

Uli opens my bedroom door.

Uli:     Hello! Come into my house.

Me:     Why thank you for inviting me in. What a lovely house you have!

Uli:     Yes, and see this baby here? (Gestures to Ilse propped up on the bed.) This is my baby who just came from my uterus.

Me:     Well, my goodness! She seems very large and healthy. You must take good care of her. What's her name?

Uli:     Ilse-Sueeze. She's a girl baby.

Me:     So nice to meet her.

Uli:     Over here is my kitchen (motions toward the dresser), here is the basement (points to the closet) and this is the dining room (rocking chair). And now we should have breakfast. Would you like pancakes and eggs and cheese? Hands over a cup of barbeque-flavored sunflower seeds.

Me:   Mmmmm. Oh yes, delicious.

Uli:     And now it's time for bed. Quick, get into bed! Runs and jumps onto the bed, jogging Ilse who starts, stares and then smiles at her big sister. Uli throws the blankets over both of them.

Me:     Gets into bed. Snore. Snore.

Twenty second pause

Uli:     Okay, now wake up! It's morning. What a lovely day. Okay, now go out of the room, into the hallway and then knock to come in!

....and....

Repeat. Like, ten thousand times.