How Sage Got Her Name

We knew when we first got pregnant that we wanted to name our baby after important and influential people in our lives. I always use to say that I would have to know before hand if it was a boy or girl during the ultrasound, but when I was pregnant we saw the value of waiting until Sage was born. After all, it is the one true surprise you get in life and the only thing the Daddy gets to do, like when Jeramy went out into a packed waiting room to announce for the very first time that we have a daughter. In fact the doctor's let him announce the sex of the baby in the OR, and when he said we had a daughter, I said, "Are you sure" because for some reason both of us were convinced we were having a boy. In fact Dr Ali Lewis (who knew we were having a girl, but heard us calling the baby him) really wanted to deliver the baby so she could say "I told you so" but she had worked too many hours, so the Seahawks head coach, Mike Holmgren's daughter delivered us on a Seahawk Sunday near Husky Stadium. Dr Lewis did come find us in the NICU to rub it in a little bit. I can't imagine finding the sex out before hand, Jeramy was a little hesitant at first, but now tries to talk everyone into it because it was so special, so thank you to my cousin's who pioneered this road before me, because I would never trade it for the world. I have seen too many people who want a boy so bad that when the ultrasound says it is a girl they are disapointed. There is no way you are disapointed when you lay eyes on your baby for the first time. I always laugh when people say, "How do you plan and buy stuff" and I always say it is easy, just buy neutral colors, and that you'd be surprised how much pink floods in after you have the baby. Again, I wouldn't trade that moment for anything and will remember Jeramy's voice and face when he told us that we now had a daughter and that she looked like him, and the pictures of all the people in the waiting room on their toes waiting to hear, because unlike most hospitals that put pink or blue hats on the babies, Sage had a khaki colored one on with Green and Red ribbon for Christmas.
For some reason, and we had no real reason why, we thought we were going to have a boy, and because we wanted our names to be family related we came up with Jackson Lee Jernigan. Jack follows the J pattern on Jeramy's Side (Jim, Jimmy, Jeramy, Josh) and Lee is Jeramy's middle name as well as his dads. It also is the middle name of Andrea and last name of my nephews Marcus and Lucas so it served many purposes.

Here are the reasons and pictures of how we came up with Sage Donna Patricia Jernigan. For such a little girl, she really has a long name..lol



This little girl's name was Sage. About a month after we met we drove down to California with Jeramy's family to get on a Mexican Rivera cruise. This is where we met 4 year old Sage from California. One day she was sitting bellied up at the bar, so Jeramy went up and bought her a shirley temple with a cherry on top, and sattled up next to her at the bar. So for the rest of the trip whenever we would bump up to her she would scream..Jeramy, Jeramy and go run up to him and give him a giant hug. Her parents told us that she couldn't stop talking about him. It was very sweet. Since this trip was the moment when we realized that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together and that we loved each other so much, we said if we ever had a daughter we would name her Sage after this little girl, as a way to remember where we fell in love.



Donna, Sage's first middle name is after Jeramy's Dad's Mom, Donna Jernigan. She died of altztimers and diabetes when Jeramy was about 15 years old. Jeramy was very close to his grandma and would spend memorable 4th of July's, Christmas and Birthday's together with his Grandma Donna and Grandpa Jim who lived over on Century Ct in Olympia. Since Jeramy was their first grandkid, he was spoiled rotten. He still to this day loves Taffy Cookies and Ginger Snaps that she got him hooked on. She made such an impact on his life and she was so incredibly special to him that he had to have her name be apart of our daughter as a way to always remember her and honor her.



Patricia, is her second middle name after my Grandma, who died of cancer when I was about 22 years old. There are no words to explain what an impact she had on my life, even to this day. She taught me everything I know and instilled an important sense of family in me. I idolized and looked up to her for so much. There isn't anything she wouldn't do for her family. She was proud and supportive of us no matter what. I know she is always with me because when I was graduating from college and was crying because she wasn't there, I looked up at all of my family and the only light in the whole building was shining on them which told me she was there. 2 weeks after she died and my Aunt died and we had the funeral at the same place, I had a hard time going into the building, I attempted a few times and failed, and on my final attempt I walked in and her favorite song was playing telling me she was there with me ane it was going to be alright. When I was trying on my wedding dress and kept crying that I wished my Grandma was here, right when I found "the dress" the wedding march went on the radio when no music was playing before and Andrea told me, "see Grandma is telling you this is the dress" I cried so much I couldn't breathe. And when I walked out of the room when Jeramy's Grandpa died, there were Christmas stockings that were hung outside his room and one of them read Pat H, another sign telling me she was there with me and everything would be ok and that she was watching out for me and always with me. Finally, the birth of my daughter. With everything that could have gone wrong with my hard pregnancy...it didn't. Since neither one of us was willing to give up the names of the women who had made such an impact on us, our little 3 pound 11 ounce baby who was 16 inches long had a name that was bigger than she was. But even though her name is long, it is strong and filled with love from people who we miss grately, but are now with us everytime we look into our little girls eyes.
With love to our Grandma's, thank you for giving us such a beautiful little girl who reminds us everyday of the love and memories we have with you!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone! Here is a picture of Sage and the Easter Bunny. That was a pretty interesting event. First she had the death grip on Jeramy before we put her on his lap. Then when she was on his lap she would go limp and slide down the bunny. The first few pictures were pretty funny because she was sliding down his lap. This one she is still trying to get away but it turned out pretty cute! She is wearing a cute little dress my mom got her, and we have a white pea coat from my Chicago Emo Katherine, so she looked like a little Jackie O.

She wasn't really too impressed with egg hunting yet. Until I put M&M's inside the eggs. This was the first time she has had chocolate or candy of any kind so she was pretty impressed! I will have to not give them to her and use them as rewards for potty training, which we need to get going on. She did ok at first but then she got scared of sitting on the big toilet and just screams, so I may have to find one of the portable ones, even though, I really don't want to clean them. She really likes sitting in front of a mirror and watching herself dance and do other things, so maybe I will get a mirror so she can watch herself...lol...Any other potty training ideas, if you have already tried the little seat on the adult potty and now she hates it? We would do it first thing in the morning or anytime she woke up and give her something to drink while we ran water and give her a sticker etc., and she was doing really good, now she won't even sit on it...so I guess I will try a portable one and see how that goes. I am kind of waiting for the weather to get nice so she can run around without a dipaer outside etc. I am not a big advocate of pull ups since they are like diapers, but I may try the ones that get cold if they get wet. We will see...she is still so little (20 pounds) that it is hard for her to get up on things even with a stool. Wish us luck, hopefully the M&M's will help!

To Sage from Daddy

Daddy's turn to tell you a few things about him like Mom did in your first Blog Book.....

1. Likes hiking near St. Helens in the mountains with his friends.
2. Likes to fish with friends and family.
3. Loves to spend time with family at the beach clam digging (even though mom can out dig him) 4. Even though mom didn't like too, Dad got her to camp because he loves it, and you were 7 months the first time you went.
5. Daddy use to race Moto-Cross, his number was 4. He can't wait to get you your first motorcycle with training wheels.
6. Hates computers, and is yelling at mommy now for making him do this.
7. Has a green thumb in the garden and has the best green peppers!
8. Had to go to Disneyland every summer with your Grandma and Grandpa, liked Space Mountain...Mommy and Daddy went with everyone when we first met, but Mom doesn't like rides and she held all the purses.
9. Everybody calls Daddy, Junior because he works with his Dad...but your cousins call him Uncle Norris from the night Avery was born.
10. Favorite ice cream is chocolate chip mint.
11. Right now Daddy has 10 tattoos including your foot prints from when you were a baby, Mommy's name and Mommy's name in Korean on his ring finger.
12. First concert he ever went to was New Kids on the Block, Mommy's first concert was No Doubt and Weezer.
13. Use to play roller hockey.
14. Was the guy who put out the speed cones at Skateland, Mommy can't skate and after seeing Daddy skate for the first time realized..."I married the speed cone guy"
15. One of Daddy's best friends Robert, who Mommy went to school with, introduced us because Robert and Mommy were neighbors.
16. Has gone to Tahsis 2 times with Andy and the Holmans.
17. Has built scaffolding for 11 years.
18. Loves getting our "group hugs" from wife and daughter.
19. Toby is very much Mommy's dog, while Lami who is very obnoxious is Daddy's dog, even though he will tell you otherwise.
20. Went to Lydia Hawk Elementary, Tumwater Middle and High School.
21. Got a Fish Craft drift boat shortly after meeting Mommy, and you loved going to play in the boat. We also have a jet sled that we have never used since we bought it.
22. Mommy and Daddy's first house was on 58th Ct near our current house on Alder Glen Drive. 23. Daddy's first car was a tan Chevy Monza, who he got from Uncle Dusty's Grandpa.
24. Favorite food is elk backstrap, which Mommy hates!
25. Favorite color are blue and green (the color of your and Daddy's eyes).
26. Has been friends with Uncle Dusty for 24 years, they met when they were 6 years old when they were neighbors on the East Side.
27. Kareoked "Family Tradition" at our reception.
28. Daddy's middle name is Lee, like his Dad...and his first name starts with a J like his Dad and Grandpa Jernigan.
29. Wanted to find out the sex of the baby, but was really glad we didn't so that Daddy could tell everyone in the waiting room It's A Girl!
30. Shot a porcupine in Shelton and it is stuffed in our garage.
31. Played the trumpet in the 5th grade, while Mommy played the violin.
32. Won $5,000 in the largest black mouth tournament in the world with Uncle Andy and Uncle James.
33. The first year Daddy and Mommy were together he shot a 4x6 on Mom's birthday.
34. You got your Daddy's adventourus spirit, and are a dare devil, where Mom is a sissy.
35. Daddy was always worried about you choking on stuff and took 2 Infant CPR classes, and always insisted we have a nose bulb thing with us incase you choked, and gave you the hymlic last Christmas. Everyone was always impressed with how hands on Daddy was. He fed you first, changed you first, and gave you your first bath, because Mommy couldn't because of her c-section and you being in the NICU.
36. Is really good buddies with Uncle Dan, and is on the phone with him right now, and he went clam digging with us a few weekends ago. Daddy fit right in with Mom's family who also bow hunted and loved to fish.
37. Played football for the Lacey Sirens when he was little.
38. Mommy and Daddy called you Peanut, and Sis.
39. Daddy's first job was at Skateland.
40. His favorite cereal is Life Cereal.
41. If he could live anywhere in the world it would be in Alaska, while Mommy prefers Hawaii.
42. Your middle name is Donna after Daddy's Grandma Donna Jernigan who he was very close to.
43. Loves to play in the snow, especially the hill at Lydia Hawk. He can't wait to take you sledding when you are bigger!
44. You and Daddy sleep in the master bedroom, because Mommy can't sleep through all of your kicking and moving, so she got kicked out to the guest room.
45. Likes to feed the squirels and watch Lami try to get them..he use to have a pet squirel when he was little.
46. His first dog's name was Spotty, who was a chihuaha.
47. Favorite pizza is a Meat Lovers Pizza.
48. Was the only Daddy at the meeting Mommy had to go to when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in a room full of pregnant women. When we got home, Daddy made little snack packs for Mommy and you that we could eat. He would count out the exact amount of chips etc and put them in baggies so we could eat them.
49. Daddy never thought he wanted to be married or have kids, but now that he is, he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
50. Always says to Mommy every day, "Have I told you how much I love you today." Without fail, every day he says it to Mommy for as long as we have been together.

Santa from Cabelas and THE FACE

So of course we did our Santa pictures at Cabelas again this year. I was a little fearful going in that Sage would freak out, but her and Santa bonded over their matching outfits and she did great, no tears or anything. In fact she kept going back to talk to him while we were waiting for our picture. Here is a picture of her dress and hat that my mom got her, as well as her Seahawks cheerleading outfit that she wears on Sundays, because we all know they could use the help. She wore her Husky's cheerleading outfit (because you know she is a born Husky) during Apple Cup and to all of my Cougar friends and family, we all know that that did the trick...lol

Also, lately she has been doing this thing we call "the face" it is SO funny and if you ask her to do the face she will do it to anyone. Last night she had the nurses laughing. It really is super funny, I think we are in trouble. lol

Thanks to everyone for their prayers for Gpa Cal..he is out of ICU and on a hospital floor now. He is a stubborn old man and I think that is what keeps getting him through...now we just have to work on shutting him up so he keeps his oxygen levels down. He is such a proud grandpa, great grandpa and dad that he wants to tell anyone who will listen how great his family is. I am just glad he is out of the ICU and Sage finally got to see him, she was in her santa suit so I think it made him happy!

Hunter's Pumpkin Patch

We went on our annual pumpkin patch trip with our dear friends Michaela and Joey and their kids Benjamin and Annika. Sage was actually big enough to go on some rides this year so she went down the slide with her mom and dad, and went on the train with Ben which was so cute. She also went down the kids slide by herself, even tough she went all cadywompus, mom caught her and she said WEE the whole time. She also shared her wagon with Annika which the girls loved! We let her pick her pumpkin out and I don't know if you can hear in the picture her grunting to try and lift them up but it was pretty funny. We went the weekend before with my parents just to ride the ponies and go down the slide that she loves...what a lucky girl. We have so much fun with our friends, I am glad we have made this a tradition...I think this was the 3rd year we went!!

Next weekend fishing and razor clam digging and I think Joey and Michaela and the kids are coming too.

Here is last year's post Attacked by elk, pumpkins and more