Today, I went to the doctor for my monthly checkup. I am 16 weeks along…almost halfway through my pregnancy! Woo Hoo! I was a little disappointed that today’s visit didn’t include an ultrasound, but JD and I did get to hear our sweet baby’s heartbeat again — music to our ears! I also was happy that I only gained 4 pounds, which is just the right amount I should put on in a month during second trimester. (Unlike the 10 I packed on in the beginning…yikes!) I guess more mindful eating and exercise are paying off!

But the best part of my visit was finally setting an appointment date to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. We are absolutely dying to find out, and are having a hard time buying anything for the baby considering everything out there is gender specific. So, the doctor told me to come back in 5 weeks, which is April 15! While most Americans will be rushing to the post office to mail away their taxes, we will finally get the news we’ve been so eager to hear. Hopefully, baby will cooperate and not be too bashful. Ha ha!

I don’t know if it was all the excitement or what, but JD and I are sooo exhausted tonight! We decided dinner needed to be simple and quick, so we opened a box of Zatarain’s*:

And added some grilled Italian sausages. (Only 190 calories per link and no nitrates.) Easy peasy!

What a begger!

This was so good! I really liked the seasonings in the beans and rice, and the sausage was sweet + spicy.

Dinner just isn’t a complete meal in my opinion without veggies, so I threw together a lettuce-less salad with cucumber, sprouts, avocado, vine-ripe tomatoes and black olives. I also added a few shakes of light raspberry vinaigrette. Yum, yum!

I have a few more things to do before I hit the hay, so I guess I’ll sign off for now. Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week!

* I was not paid or asked to endorse any products made by the Zatarain’s company.