ABC Baby Shower

Up to 2 Months Before

• Bake Baby Shower Cake, and freeze unfrosted layers tightly covered for up to 2 months.  
• Bake Lemon-Herb Muffins; store tightly covered in freezer. 

The Day Before

• Remove cake from freezer if made ahead and frozen.  Frost and decorate cake while still frozen--it’s easier.
• For Quiche Lorraine:  Make Flaky Pastry and place in quiche dish; cover tightly and refrigerate.  Cook and crumble bacon; store tightly covered in refrigerator.  Chop onion; store tightly covered in refrigerator.
• For Orange-Avocado Salad:  Make Orange Vinaigrette; store tightly covered in refrigerator.  Prepare oranges and onion; store separately and tightly covered in refrigerator.
• Remove muffins from freezer.
• Place frozen juices for Sparkling Citrus Punch in refrigerator to thaw.

About 3 Hours Before Serving

• Beat eggs and remaining quiche filling ingredients; store tightly covered in refrigerator.

About 1 Hour Before Serving

• Assemble quiche and bake.
• Slice avocado for salad and brush with lemon juice; cover and refrigerate.

About 30 Minutes Before Serving

• Assemble salad.

About 15 Minutes Before Guests Arrive

• Mix punch.  Add ice cubes or ice ring.

About 15 Minutes Before Serving

• Wrap muffins in aluminum foil and heat in a 400° oven about 5 minutes or until warm. 

When Guests Arrive

• Serve punch

Create an invitation for your guests using an ABC theme.
A - Aren’t you happy for “guest of honor”?
B - Be here at “give party details.”
C - Come with a gift.  Bring a package of any size of diapers, and your name will be entered in a drawing for a “pamper yourself” gift basket.

ABC Activities

Present the mom-to-be with a necklace made with pastel ribbons and alphabet beads (find beads at a craft store).

Here are the ABCs of fun ideas and games:

• Oh, Baby, Watch What You Say!  This game takes place during normal conversation. 
• Here’s how to play:  Divide alphabet blocks among guests.  (You can buy blocks at toy and discount stores.)  Each guest should start with three to six blocks for the most fun.  Once the start time is indicated, no one can say the word “baby.”  If someone does, whoever catches that person saying it gets one of their blocks.  This game can be played over a long block of time.  Whoever ends up with the most blocks wins! You could start this game when you sit down to the meal.  Whenever anyone (including the guest of honor) says the “baby” word, she or he adds a block to the center of the table.  Determine a time to finish the game, or stop when there are almost no blocks left.  Declare the person with the most blocks remaining the winner.  Award her with a prize, and the mom-to-be gets to keep the blocks.
• ABCs of Baby Needs
• Pass out paper and pens, and ask everyone to write down as many words as they can think of that start with A, B and C.  All words must be something the baby needs, such as animal, aspirin, bathtub, bib, blanket, blocks, book, booties, bottle, cap and chair.  Putting the word “baby” in front of a word is not allowed.  Use a timer, and allow only 5 minutes maximum time.  The person with the most acceptable words (the group can decide) wins.
• A Tisket, a Tasket, ABCs and Gifts in a Basket
• Guests sit in a circle for this game.  Have a dozen or more gifts wrapped and placed in a basket.  (You’ll need more gifts for a large party group.)  Gifts can be a package of gum, candy bar, dollar bill or a white elephant.*  The more unusual the shape, the more attention the gift receives.
• The group recites the ABCs, starting with the guest of honor saying “A,” the person next to her saying “B” and so on until the end of the alphabet. 
• Reciting the alphabet then starts again, but this time and thereafter the persons saying A, B and C get to take a gift out of the basket. 
• Continue this until all the gifts are gone.  The next rounds of the alphabet continue, but the guests saying A, B and C take gifts from other guests.  This is when the fun really begins!  Continue this for a few more rounds before announcing the last round.
• When all the gifts have been taken, everyone gets to open their gifts.
  *A “white elephant” is an item that is no longer wanted by the owner but may be wanted by someone else, perhaps a coffee mug or small picture.

Decorations

• Scatter and pile alphabet blocks artfully in the center of the dining table.  Cut lengths of colorful ribbons, and scatter around and intertwine with the blocks.
• Tape place cards to blocks.
• The mom-to-be will no doubt be in the bathroom, so perk it up with pastel linens and items with the ABC theme.  Play lullabies on a portable CD player.

Food Presentation

• ABC ice cubes?  Make floating ice disks in muffin cups, which take less time than an ice ring to freeze solid.  Find inexpensive plastic toy alphabet blocks that will fit in the muffin cups; freeze the blocks in water in the cups. 
• Serve the punch in fun stemware; it can be inexpensive plasticware picked up at a party store.  Tie pastel ribbons around each stem, and attach alphabet beads or buttons (find them at craft stores).
• Tie new alphabet shoelaces or hair ribbons around napkins and silverware, or use the same pastel ribbons with alphabet beads or buttons tied to the stemware.
• Use pastel paper liners for muffins, or search party or kitchen stores for themed liners.  Line the serving basket with pastel baby washcloths or towels, decorated with the alphabet if you can find them.  Tie the basket with ribbons like the ones used on the stemware and napkins.
• Place dinner plates and then dessert plates on special crinkled paper-covered charger plates for added fun.  Use pastel lightweight decorative art paper, lightweight baby gift wrap or tissue paper.