Cody Michaels: Town’s 50th ‘First Baby’

Cody Robert Michaels, born at 1:50 a.m. on January 1 at St. John’s Medical Center in Santa Monica, has won the Palisadian-Post’s First Baby of the Year contest. He is the 50th baby to earn the honor. Cody’s mother, Pam Michaels, learned about the contest when she came into the Post’s offices last month to renew her subscription. Business Manager Cheryel Kanan asked when she was due, and reminded her to watch out for the First Baby contest and call the Post when she had her baby. So Pam called in on Friday, the day after giving birth, and Cody was eventually declared the winner. He and his parents will enjoy gifts and services from 60 Palisades merchants. “Little Cody is doing very well,” Pam said. “My pregnancy was great. I really enjoyed it and had no problems.” Cody’s dad, Robert, came up with his first name. “I was reading the baby names book and it just caught my attention,” said Robert. “He seems to have a strong-willed personality. He’s not shy about letting you know how he feels about things. When he gets wrapped in a certain way, he starts swinging his arms in boxing mode.” Cody’s 6-year-old brother, Brandon, a Corpus Christi first grader, is adjusting well to his new little brother and is helping out. “He was very excited and he couldn’t wait,” Pam said. Dad is proud of his older son’s transition to being a big brother: “He’s old enough to understand what it means; he cares for his brother and looks after him. He’s been very sweet to him.” The runners-up are Annie and Kendall Mars, twin daughters of Traci and Brian Mars, born at 6:55 and 6:56 a.m. on January 1 at Cedars-Sinai. Older sister Molly is in the same class as Brandon, at Corpus Christi. “It’s very special for us to have two sets of children the same age,” said Pam. “I was lying in bed that night, and called Traci to say, ‘I had my baby and you’re next.’ Brian answered and said ‘We did, too!'” Born at 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20-3/4″ long, Cody has lots of brown hair and light eyebrows. His mom expects his hair to become blonde like his older brother’s, as he is his “spitting image.” “He’s thriving,” she said of Cody. “He hasn’t lost weight as newborns usually do; in fact, he gained a little bit of weight a few days after his birth. I just welcome a great eater. He’s quite a little feisty guy. “We didn’t know if he was going to be a 2003 baby or a 2004 baby,” Pam said. “We were hoping it was going to be January 1, the start of a new year. We didn’t even notice it was New Year’s, and before you know it, you’ve given birth. After he was born we realized it was New Year’s, so we celebrated. It was a lot of fun.” Cody was also the year’s first birth at St. John’s and was given a silver spoon that reads “First Baby of 2004” by the hospital staff. His mother recalls it was a busy night at the hospital. “My water broke on the 31st and when we came in at 4 p.m. there was no labor room available. There were three women there before me, and three women after me.” She had to wait about an hour until a room was available. Pam Michaels, who is originally from Durban, South Africa, was happy that her sister and brother-in-law had flown in from South Africa on December 30. “Brandon was thrilled he could spend the night at home with his aunt and uncle.” Robert Michaels, a native of Boston, is the president and CEO of Odesus, Inc., a technology consulting company. They have lived in the Palisades Highlands since 1997. “We’re pleased for the big announcement; it’s something special for Cody to carry through his life,” Robert said.