Baby shower

This weekend Sandy and I hosted a baby shower for Traci, who is due with her second son in a few weeks. It never occurred to me that the baby shower is a distinctly American tradition, and that the non-Americans we invited would be so excited/curious to experience said tradition. Their excitement was actually really cute, though it did induce minor panic in Sandy and I to do a really good shower (which led me to totally undercook my cake and overcook my cookies, both of which I've made many times before. Luckily Sandy's panic did not affect her cooking and her carrot cake was perfectly done). Despite the baked goods situation, I think the Swedish, British, Aussie and Dutch contingent had a good time and enjoyed the match-the-mommy-animal-with-the-baby-animal and remember-as-many-weird-baby-items-as-you-can-on-the-tray games.

It strikes me now as very American to celebrate a baby BEFORE it's born when in most cultures around the world they celebrate the baby after it's arrived. Apparently it was only after WWII when, presumably, the rate of infant mortality went down, that the pre-birth shower really took off in the U.S. Perhaps this counting of chickens before they're hatched is a reflection of our very optimistic (naive?) nature.