As Pecos alluded to in his post, I was in the States for most of July. As always, it was wonderful being home, and I was far busier than I predicted I would be. Of course, a lot of this busy-ness involved shopping for the baby with some very generous grandmothers-to-be. You can see the booty below. And don't worry, I'm not really crazy. Not all of this clothing is for a wee babe, it's just all for her first year. Justin seems to think we have enough, I think not.
When I asked Justin to pick out some favorite pieces he picked out the two below. The first one is clearly a favorite because Elizabeth can represent Ward-style. Of course, if you follow baseball, you might think she's representing Washington Nationals-style, and that's okay too. .JPG)
Can you believe there is clothing with dachshunds on it for baby girls? I could not. When Liz found this beauty, I about died, and then I think Mom and Liz almost died of embarrassment as I rejoiced to the Gymboree gods. Too cute. Expect future pictures of Elizabeth sporting this while posing with Pecos..JPG)
Here is Pecos modeling the piece he picked out as his favorite. I think the bib suits him and if he ever becomes a drolly dog, I'm sure Elizabeth will lone it to him.
Okay, enough about baby clothing. I do understand that there is more to having a baby than cute clothing emblazoned with images of dogs. We've been preparing with lots of research and the latest points of focus are cars and cribs (we'll be sad to say goodbye to the Ka, but it's just too small). Researching car seats almost killed me. I'm glad that task is completed. Since we are so festively preparing for her arrival, I should confirm that all is still well with Elizabeth. I had an appointment with an OB when I was home just because I wasn't going to be able to see my doctor here for awhile. The OB is a friend of my father's, and I certainly got some special treatment in the form of a very extensive ultrasound. I was very lucky that my dad got to witness the ultrasound and watch Elizabeth wiggling around. She spent a fair amount of time trying to get her thumb into her mouth. As you can see below, she eventually succeeded. More important than being cute, everything else with her checked out perfectly normal.
I also went to see my doctor here in Germany this week, and again, all is going well with both Elizabeth and myself. Here's a profile shot from that appointment.
Today marks my last day in the second trimester, tomorrow, at 27 weeks, I enter the third. I've been feeling really good, but I'm starting to worry about how my back is going to feel in a few weeks. My torso is just not very long and this baby has to grow from the almost two pounds she is now to six plus pounds. Hopefully all the weightlifting I've done over the years (and a special emphasis on my core for the past year) will pay off.
For Carole's viewing pleasure, here is my belly at 24 weeks. I'll take another picture at 28 weeks and try to post it more promptly.
I am now, undeniably, pregnant and wearing maternity clothing full time. Well, honestly, since I'm a work-from-home slob, I'm in gym clothing most of the day, and boxers borrowed from Justin for most of the night. All of my "real" pants now have elasticized waists, I just don't wear them very often.
To wrap up, being in the States was great. It's always wonderful to get to spend a big chunk of time with my family and it's very hard to leave them to come back. Of course, knowing Justin and Pecos are here waiting for me makes it a bit easier.
Philip left recently. Not a day passes when I don’t recall with fondness the times we napped together on the soft brown couch in the living room. My head snuggly wedged in his groin, which radiates heat like his heart radiates love. His strong hand – heavy with the deep, relaxing sleep that comes when scratching a dog’s chest – resting stoutly on my furry flank. His other hand still on the remote control … as if dialing in the channel for the most relaxing serenity man and dog can discover. I remember the times he woofed at me. So sudden and loud. But very masculine and alpha it made me want to belong to his pack. I still miss him, that Philip. Every day. I miss him.
Then we walked to Buckingham Palace, asked if the queen was in (she was), and continued on our way through a delightfully green park, where Phil was taken back by these delightfully cheeky British birds. EL-OH GUBNOR! 
A short tube ride later and we were at the Parliament, the epicenter of British government and home to the most famous clock in the world. Here’s Big Phil posing in front of Big Ben.
Across the street was Westminter Abbey (by far, the best Abbey Phil said he’s ever been to).
Trafalgar Square came next, where, as always, there was some sort of gathering to protest a horrible injustice or some such blather. As daft Americans, Phil and I could not have cared less. So Phil peed in the fountain. (That little bugger!) 
Then we were off to Picadilly Circus (which I, as a U.S. Army employee, kept confusing with Picatinny Arsenal, a small base in New Jersey where my step-sister works.). Picadilly is the Times Square of London. And, much like Times Square in New York, there’s really not a whole lot other than tourists and shiny billboards. 
We were a bit knackered after all that walking around. So we decided to eat some curries at a place Phil’s friend recommended (behind Pic Circus) and go back to the hostel for a bit of shut eye before finally going out on the town where we saw “birds” of a different type.
St. Paul’s came next, where we had to queue to find out it was 12 pounds ($24) per adult to enter. Personally, as I never enter churches anymore, this was not much of an affront. Phil was a little more outraged at being charged to enter a place of god. But, in keeping with our SUPERCHEAP motto, we took a few snaps and left our wallets unmolested. Here’s Phil being proud of himself. I SEE, FOR FREE!
On our way to the Queen’s Walk (a romantic pedestrianized walk along the Thames), Phil thought he heard a cry for help. So he took the opportunity to change into his superhero outfit in a nearby telephone booth. But he somehow got stuck and became the victim himself.
The Queen’s Walk was next, where we saw Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. We knew it would be expensive, so we didn’t even check the playlist.
Then we saw the eternally underwhelming London Bridge, which I think should consider changing its name or architectural style to either blow off or wow people like Phil who come with such high expectations. 
Also along the walk, we noticed that the diet of British dogs is considerably different from that of American dogs.
Then, since it was such a perfect, non-London-like day, we took a short nap in the park. Here Phil learned to never nap near an unmature bloke like myself. (I covered him in pretty flowers. He looks much better now).
Then, finally, it was off to St. James Palace (on the corner of Pall Mall and Marlborough, believe it or not), where we’d heard there were Queens Guards. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t see any. Fortunately for the palace, we acted in their stead for a minute, protecting the palace from evil doers everywhere.
That night, we went to Hyde Park, where Eric Clapton was playing for only 55 pounds. We, however, sat in the grass outside and listened for free. SUPERCHEAP!
This bridge was much cooler than London Bridge (and is too often mistake for said bridge). As such, it also charges a steep admission. So, once again, Phil and I took a few snappy snaps and decided we fancied a pint. 
So, we minded the gap one more time as we boarded the tube, not really knowing where to go next, since we'd just about seen everything we wanted to. So, while flipping through our book, I saw an Irish pub I’d read about called Filthy MacNasty’s in a dodgy area in the north of the city. I liked the name. Phil liked the sound of a pint. Decision made.
I got a little pissed from that one pint (Guinness), so we had to get some food in me on the double. Thankfully, Chinatown was only a few short stops away, where I refueled on the worst buffets I’ve ever had. (I still went back up three times … I’m easy to please-y).
And here’s one of the numerous attractive things Phil found low (that we can show you a picture of). (We’d show you more pictures if it was socially acceptable to take pictures of those things).
Since Kate and I had been to Prague a few times before, we knew that, if you just use your ears, you’d swear Prague is an American city with a lot of foreign tourists (chiefly British). Luckily, we used our eyes too. Here are my, somewhat less traditional shots of Prague: 
And here are some of Phil’s more traditional pictures: 
Then, since Kate and I had been to Prague a few times before, we’d a few of Prague’s nicknames: City of a Thousand Spires, City of Gold, City of Lost Cars.
(No farts were harmed in the making of these blogs.)
From the air it looks like a huge swatch of bubblewrap, with similarly dispersed and sized mounds rising uniformly from a drab olive-colored floor.
What’s that all mean? Well, this was my second time here in three months and I’m still not sure. It’s more diverse than New York and more backwards than Greece. And it’s a lot of fun.
I was here, of course, for TDY, giving presentations to government officials from many surrounding states on the how to handle the media during a disaster. The work itself was a little slow and the people in my group needed some motivation. But, after goading and prodding, we set our sights low, barely accomplished them, and celebrated at the end like we’d just cured cancer. Such is the way of life here, I guess.
Here is about half of my group - the others were too "busy" to have their picture taken.
Unfortunately, and unlike last time, I spent most my time in the hotel. I should have learned from my Georgia and Azerbaijan experience that that’s no way to travel. But I’ll be coming back one last time in November and will certainly make more time for exploring, sightseeing, and of course, celebrating.