22 weeks



How far along? 22 weeks

How big is baby? Baby Reagan is around 11 inches and measures 1 pound! She is the size of a spaghetti squash and looks like a miniature newborn.

Weight gain? seems like I'm still the same.  Dr's appt on Monday so I will find out then how much I have gained since the last visit

Stretch marks?  Looks like I have my Mom's incredile no stretch mark genes!

Maternity Clothes? Went to Motherhood Maternity with my parents last weekend and got some clothes for the Spring.  Then I ordered some from Old Navy online.  Surprisingly they came in earlier than I thought they would.  So excited to have all these clothes to choose from now.

Sleep?  My bedtime ritual starts around 7:30.  I get in the bed, watch a little tv and then fall asleep. 

Best Moment of the Week? Shopping with my parents for maternity clothes and some things for Baby Reagan. 

Food cravings?  Fountain Coke Zero.  :(

Gender? "baby girl"-Chad's nickname for her

Movement? A lot of movement right before I eat and right after I eat.

What do I miss? not crying at the smallest things.  Most of you know I am already sensitive, but this week, I would cry when I heard songs driving to school.

Belly Button? 3/4 way to an outtie

What I am looking forward to? Upscale Weesale this week

Milestone? completing the Baby Registry!

Baby Registries

So, after a whole lot of researching, Chad and I have completed registering for our sweet Reagan. It took us about 5 hours and we didn't have a single argument. Chad let me do most of the picking out, but there were certain things he was very serious about. Some of these things were: the humidifier, thermometer, and baby monitor. I have a tendency to try to go for the cheapest, but he wanted his "baby girl" to have just the right ones. While seeing all that stuff was kind of overwhelming, it made this whole thing a new level of "real".

The places we chose to use for our registries are Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby, and Target. We wanted to give options of places to shop. My "type A" personality came out so we separated the list of items out between the three stores. Feel free to check out our registries at either store! :)

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 weeks

How big is the baby? Baby weighs about 3/4 of a pound and is 10 1/2 inches long (the length of a carrot).

Weight gain? Not too much in the belly, but it's bulging out there.

Stretch marks? nope, cocoa butter is working

Maternity clothes?  LOVE them! Going to buy more this weekend for the Spring weather that is approaching.

Sleep?  I have found that if I get in the bed around 7:30 and rest/sleep until I actually go to sleep that I am well rested the next day.  Must mean Reagan is wearing me out!

Best moment of the week? Feeling more movements and knowing it's her!

Food cravings? Cereal of the week: Frosted Mini Wheats (Fruit in the Middle)

Gender? sweet baby girl

Movement? much more this week, although I can't wait until Chad can feel the kicks too.

What I miss? fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes. Praying I will get back into them eventually!

Belly Button? 1/2 way to an outtie

What I am looking forward to? My parents coming up tomorrow to go shopping for material.  My Mom is going to start making dresses for Baby Reagan.

Milestone? getting the nursery painted (thanks Bub and Julie!), putting the nursery furniture together, and finally seeing the beginnings of the nursery with the bedding on the crib.

Spoiled with LOVE

One of God's greatest gifts is family.  Chad and I are thrilled that Reagan is going to be surrounded by such a wonderful family.  Having both sets of grandparents around is going to be so special for her.  We are going to teach her at a young age to appreciate your family.

Chad moved around a lot growing up, so he says he didn't get to see his aunts, uncles, and cousins as much as I did.  He loves his family very much, but wishes he could see them more often.  We look forward to Reagan spending holidays and other occasions with her family.

I have a wonderful Granny that I love very much.  She has been there for me through all the phases of my life and was my "cheerleader" at recitals, graduations, pageants, wedding, etc.  She has surrounded me for 29 years with love and support.  I've also had amazing aunts and uncles that have "spoiled" me along the way.

My Granddaddy Hayes died before my parents were married and my maternal grandparents both died before my 1st bithday.  I can't even imagine how great it is going to be for Reagan to be surrounded by the love and support I have from my Granny times 4!

Chad and I were both brought up by amazing parents.  Just like my Granny, they have loved and supported us through everything.  They have taught us to stand up and believe in ourself, even when we don't think others do.  And most importantly, they have taught us how to be parents.  We hope that we can be as wonderful as they were for our sweet Reagan. 

Reagan's grandparents and  parents

and her Aunt Kristin and Uncle Cory

(there is always something funny when we are together)

20 weeks-halfway there!

How far along? 20 weeks

How big is baby? She is about 6.5 inches long (the length of a banana) and weighs about 10.5 ounces.

Weight gain? It's definitely more noticeable, still more in the other two areas.

Stretch marks? None, I think the Cocoa Butter lotion is working. :)

Maternity clothes? Want to buy more maternity pants because they are sooo much more comfortable than my pre-pregnancy pants

Sleep? Very tired this week.  Thought I might come home and pass out before dinner tonight.  That's how exhausted I am.

Food Cravings? This week my favorite cereal is Special K-Fruit and Yogurt cereal.  Only problem is, I could eat the WHOLE box!

Gender? Sweet baby girl

Movement? I'm starting to realize what I thought was gas is the beginning of me feeling her moving.  Last night before dinner, I thought I felt my stomach growl, but then I realized I didn't hear it and it felt more like a "wave".  Now I definitely know it's her kicking around in there.

What I miss? my occasional glass of wine with dinner

Belly button? still an innie, but I'm starting to see what's going to happen soon!

What I am looking forward to? Seeing Reagan's room after it's painted this weekend! That's why you see painter's tape around the window in the picture!

As in Ronald Reagan?

Well yes, partly.  Let me explain where Reagan's name comes from.

Chad's paternal grandfather, Ray Hinton, passed away the year before Chad was born.  Even though Chad never knew his Grandpa Ray, he has had a glimpse of his grandfather through stories about him and through his relationship with his Dad and his three uncles.  While Reagan will never know the great grandfather that part of her name comes from, we can tell her to look at her Dad and grandfather to have an idea of what Grandpa Ray was like.

Here is Chad and his Dad, Steve "Bub" Hinton playing around

Now to explain how Ronald Reagan fits into her name.  If you have ever had a dinner with Chad and "Bub", you know the conversation always leads to politics.  Chad likes to describe his Dad as a "staunch conservative".  Bub's "holy trinity" goes as follows: God, Jesus, Ronald Reagan.  "Bub" will tell you that Ronald Reagan was THE best President we have had, not that I am disagreeing.  I guess you could say the spelling of her name is for Ronald Reagan.  So the answer to the question, "As in Ronald Reagan?".  Why yes, it is.

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19 weeks!

How far along? 19 weeks


How big is baby?  Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. The hair on her scalp is sprouting.


Weight gain? Not much, but Thursday was the first day my "bump" was noticeable.  Yay!


Stretch marks? None yet, I went and bought a bottle of Cocoa Butter (Aunt Joan's suggestion) now that I am starting to show a little bit.


Maternity clothes? I went and bought a few maternity dress pants at Target so I would be more comfortable at work.


Sleep? I have slept a lot more this week.  Yesterday afternoon, I slept from 3:45 to 5:15 and then I went to bed at 9:30 and got up at 7 this morning.  I'm hoping this means Reagan is moving around a lot and making me tired. :)


Best moment of the week? Finding out that Rebekah is having a baby girl too! I can't wait for them to meet!


Food Cravings? I have always like pickles, but mostly I like dill pickles.  This week I have been eating a lot of bread and butter pickles.


Gender? Baby girl!


Movement? Nothing yet.  I keep feeling something and wondering if it's her.  Waiting on a little flutter....


What I miss? energy to work out.  This week I didn't make it to the gym, but I did walk around the neighborhood a few days.


Belly Button? still an innie...


What I am looking forward to? the nursery furniture coming in.  We ordered it this week!


Milestone? This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby's brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.   Chad and I decided to put the Bose Headphones on my belly after we read this little fact.  :)

God's Timing is Perfect!

As most of you are aware, Reagan's due date is June 30.  Not only is that her Aunt Kristin's birthday, but it's also the same due date of Baby Ardis, my very close friend, Rebekah's baby.  Let me tell you about my relationship with Rebekah and how thankful I am to have such a wonderful friend to share this experience with.

I met Rebekah my freshmen year at Winthrop through a mutual friend.  At first, I thought she didn't like me, but I learned soon after, that we are the same in how we are quiet around new people.  Rebekah was a sophomore so she knew a lot more than I did about Winthrop and Rock Hill.  We became instant friends and she helped me make it through all the craziness of my freshmen year.  That year she joined Chi Omega and her excitement caused me to want to join a sorority.  When I started college, I hadn't planned on rushing, but I saw how positively it affected her.  The next year, I too joined Chi Omega.  It was one of the best decisions of my life and I have to say she is the reason I joined.

Rebekah is one of those friends that I can go a month (or two!) without talking to and pick right back up where I left off with her, without any hard feelings.  We were roommates after college, bridesmaids in each other's weddings, and now we are pregnant together with the exact same due date.  Coincedence? I think not.

I feel like there are people that are put in our life for a reason and a purpose.  She is one of those people for me.  God knew that I would need a friend to go through this amazing journey of pregnancy and motherhood.  He knew that I have a hard time making decisions and would need someone to offer advice.  He knew that I would need a buddy to share stories with.  Thank you, God, for sending me such a wonderful person to be my "pg buddy". 

18 Weeks!

Sorry for so many posts in one day.  I wanted to have a good introduction on everything.

My fabulous sister-in-law gave me an idea for the blog that she had seen another expectant mother do.  I think it will be fun to look back on as the weeks go by.  Thanks Kristin!

How far along? 18 Weeks

How big are babies? Head to rump, my baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he/she weighs almost 7 ounces. 

Weight gain? Not too much. A lot of people keep wondering where my baby bump is.  I think it's in the other two b's. 

Strech marks? not any yet

Movement? Nothing yet, I keep waiting, but it sounds like its going to happen pretty soon.

What I miss? Caffeine, especially Coke Zero.

Maternity Clothes? Most of my pants still fit me.  I did buy maternity jeans so that I felt a little more comfortable.  I really like wearing dresses because they feel a lot better than tight pants.

Sleep? I have the same sleep routine from before pregnancy, but I am more tired during certain times of the day

Best moment of the week? Finding out that we are having a baby girl! Chad and I were so sure it was a boy because there are a lot of boys in his family.  Not that we didn't want a girl.  Chad is looking forward to having a "Daddy's girl" and I am looking forward to dressing her up!

Food Cravings? not really anything different from before, I love any type of cereal.  My new favorite is Cinnamon Burst Cheerios

Gender? GIRL!

Belly Button? Innie

What I am looking forward to? getting the nursery furniture

Milestone? seeing Baby Reagan during the ultrasound and finding out that she is healthy.

It's a Girl!

Introducing Reagan Joanna Hinton!

First Time for Everything

I always said I would never have a blog.  Not because I thought it was dumb, but because I thought I wouldn't have anything interesting to say.  Well now that Chad and I have a little one on the way, I know I am going to have lots to share with you. 

Let me start by saying how excited Chad and I are to be expectant parents.  As some of you may be thinking, we waited long enough.  When I look back though, I'm glad we waited until we did.  By waiting  four years, Chad and I had a chance to build a strong foundation in our marriage.  That was one of our main focuses before we started trying to have a child. Other reasons for waiting included both of us working towards our Master's degrees and feeling comfortable financially.  So now, here we are....anxiously awaiting June 30.