Babyshower and Beschuit met Muisjes

Visiting with cousin, and new mom, Jen and Christine.
Also makes a good bump picture I guess :) - 34 weeks.


A high chair!


Getting some more practice with Jen and Dan's little Henry!


SO many great presents!


Oohing and Aahing over little clothes is a must :)


My mom sent me a huge box with these - "Beschuit met muisjes" (Biscuits with little mice). The little mice are anise seeds with a sugar coating, served on the biscuits with butter. It is the traditional food served to celebrate the birth of a baby in the Netherlands. Blue muisjes for a boy, pink muisjes for a girl. Sure, she's not born yet, but in Holland there is no such thing as a babyshower before a birth.


I looked it up on wikipedia, and here is some more of it's history:

"The tradition of celebrating a birth with beschuit met muisjes goes back to the 17th century. At that time the muisjes were white for a boy. Later this changed to blue. It was thought that the anise was good for the mother’s milk, that it would ease the contractions in the womb, and that it would drive away evil spirits. The name ‘muisjes’ was derived from their resemblance to the shape of a mouse, with the stem of the anise seed resembling a tail, as well as the fact that the mouse was seen as a fertility symbol. Beschuit met muisjes was originally eaten only by the upper class. The lower classes would celebrate a birth by eating white bread with sugar on top."



Of course I have plenty left for my church babyshower coming up, and for after little one makes her arrival :)