Claudia's Baby Shower

Claudia and Norbert are expecting their first child at the end of April.  It's a girl and her name is Tünde.  They are so excited.  On Sunday we had a baby shower at my flat.  Czechs, and most Europeans, don't really do the baby shower thing.  So we kept it kind of simple with a big American style brunch and we didn't do any of the typical baby shower games that people do in the USA.  
Some of our Czech friends found the whole idea a bit different.  Apparently it is considered bad luck to give presents for the baby before the baby is born.  I guess that makes some sense but in the USA we give gifts, before the baby is born, so that the parents have what they need before the child arrives.

Cultural differences.  But I think Czechs tend to push the whole bad luck thing a bit.  For example, when you buy a pram (a baby stroller) you are not supposed to keep it in the house until after the child comes home.  So you either keep it at a relative's home or wait to pick it up at the store.  To me, it just seems odd to put things like this off until later when they can be done ahead of time.

With such a mix of nationalities, one of the neat things that Claudia and Norbert wanted for Tünde were children's books from our home countries.  I guess this way she will never run out of bedtime stories. 

Note:  Little Tünde arrived on April 27th.