5 months old

4 months has been the most fun age. I'm sure I will be saying this more often, but it seems like she's done the most growing & changing this month and is so much fun!

* Measurements- 5 months is a non-doctor-visit month, so Leah's approximate weight is about 14.5 lbs. & length is about 25.5 inches. (Then again, you try measuring a squirmy baby with a sewing tape.)

* Sleeping- She has been sleeping from about 8:30 or 9 at night until 7 or 7:30 every morning. The few times she does wake up before 7 are usually because she's gone too bed too late. I don't dread the early morning feedings anymore like I used to because she is usually so hungry she finishes her whole bottle in 10 minutes or less, and then she'll go straight back to sleep. She's down to 2 naps a day now, mostly, one around 11 and another around 3. We can't really rock her to sleep anymore, because she is so squirmy. She prefers to fall asleep on her own in her crib.

* Eating- She's still such a slow eater and drags her bottles out. She likes to have a little to help put her to sleep and then once she wakes up, she wants to play a while & then she'll take more. She won't eat if there's a lot going on around her because she'd rather be a part of the action! We're still doing mostly breastmilk, but my milk production is getting lower (and I don't have as much time to pump, really) so occasionally I will give her one bottle of formula.


- After a week of not much cooperation on solids, we're taking a break until she's a little older. She always seemed way too distracted while trying to eat from a spoon and never got much in her. I'm not giving up completely, just taking a break for a couple weeks.

* Discoveries- She has found her voice! She now knows how to scream. And she does it just to hear herself-- not because she's mad or even to get attention. Mostly it's just because she can. Sometimes she screams because she's hungry or bored, but mostly she just screams. And it's loud. However, she doesn't seem to do it as much in public as she does at home, which is good. But she's too little to understand "no," I think.


* Personality- She is very very curious. She is always reaching her hands out to touch things or put them in her mouth. When she is around a lot of people, she is always quiet, looking around & taking everything in. A couple ladies at church commented that she is "wise beyond her age," because she looks at them as if she understands everything going on around her.

* Update- She started going to the preschool daycare at church Tues. & Thurs. while I'm at work. It's only 4 hours two days a week, but I feel like it's a good thing for both of us!

And here is a 15-second video of her screaming in her new Exersaucer. (I found this toy for $30 on Craig's List-- new ones in the store start around $60. Her feet sit flat on the bottom so she is basically standing up & she can spin around in the seat to play with all the toys. It keeps her occupied for long periods of time & it even seems to tire her out.) You'll notice there is absolutely nothing wrong with her. She kept going about 2 minutes after this!



























She's almost too long to lay sideways in her crib! And it takes twice as long to take the pictures now because she tries to put the bear in her mouth or play with the sign or roll over. But good grief, look how much bigger she is!

Her baby book has a section on her favorite toys. So I took this photo to remember: a cloth book, a doll, and anything attached to the rings that she can put in her mouth. And she's on the ever-popular play mat. On which she usually ends up just playing with the ring that attaches the toys to the mat anyway.

21 weeks old OR "My Increasingly Active Little Baby..."

Now that she's learned to roll over, Leah just can't stop! She prefers to be on her belly and if you put her on her back, she will automatically roll to be on her tummy. (From what I read this is opposite of a lot of babies, who roll more often from tummy to back.) She does know how to roll the other way, but most of the time she forgets and gets mad and "yells" until someone comes to turn her over. She inches all over her playmat and can no longer be contained in that small of a space.


She is starting to grow bored more quickly now and has to change locations/ toys often or she gets fussy. I think she would really benefit from a walker or some sort of other toy where she can sit up & look around, as she is very social and loves to be able to see what's going on. She's always kicking her legs. Changing her clothes takes forever because she just wants move. I never know how I might find her in her crib when she wakes up from a nap. More than once she's been on her tummy in the very corner of the crib, "eating" the monitor. (Everything is going in the mouth these days!)

Bathtime is especially fun because everyone gets wet! She loves the water and kicks her legs like she's swimming the whole time. This little girl is well on her way to moving all over the place!

Exhibit A: Leah's usual playtime "dance."

Snow Day!

Here's a few fun pics taken at our house today-- the first big snow we've seen in a couple of years!

Big Girl Foods!

We gave Leah her first shot at "solid" foods yesterday, the 17th. By solid, I mean thin rice cereal watered down with milk to a thickness only slightly thicker than what she's used to. Nonetheless, she got to sit in her "big girl" chair and eat from a spoon. She seemed really fascinated by all of it. She was very quiet, just taking in all that was going on. She did push the food out with her tongue a little but she didn't make any "yuck" faces. Some of it was definately going in (we could tell by the diaper she gave us later!), even though more probably did get on her bib & her face! Right now we will continue to do one meal a day for about a month or so. Eventually I will start adding in oatmeal cereal and then later vegetables. Her primary source of nutrition will still be breastmilk for at least another 3 or 4 months.

The 1st bite! She's not so sure...

She's starting to like it...

"What is Mommy doing to me?"

"This is fun!"

I'm not even sure what this face says.

Here are two short videos of the experience (with no sound, of course-- now that I've figured out how to do these on my camera, I'll be doing more!). Sorry, I can't figure out how to rotate them.

2008 in Review

Here is what happened in 2008 in the Cody Family.

January: We host a New Year's Eve Party with several close friends. We announce to them & to our parents that we just found out we are pregnant!

February: We get to see an ultrasound of our new little one and hear the heartbeat. He/she looks perfectly healthy & is expected to arrive Sept. 10, 2008.

March: We celebrate Easter at our church and with a night out, just the two of us. I'm really starting to show.

April: We get to go on a camping trip with Elizabeth & Dan to the mountains of NC... The big ultrasound reveals we're having a little girl!

May: We celebrate 2 years since our wedding day... I turn 27.

June: We travel to visit my parents in the OBX and have our first baby shower.

July: We have another baby shower at our church in Raleigh. Our little girl is already spoiled rotten and we're given practically everything we need to welcome her into the world.

August: Leah Grace Cody enters the world, 2 weeks early on the 29th. She weighs 5 lbs. 16 oz... Brett is ordained into the ministry on August 31st by Creedmoor Road Baptist Church.





September: Brett's mom & dad come for a visit to meet Miss Leah. We are just beginning to adjust to life as new parents.

October: Fall brought Leah's 2 month birthday & lots of outdoor fun!

November: We travel to Chattanooga (Leah's first short plane trip) for Elizabeth & Dan's wedding, in which I am the matron of honor... Thanksgiving is spent in the Outer Banks with my family, Leah's first beach trip.

December: Christmas & the holidays always keep us busy with church activities, the cantata, parties with friends, and of course, presents!

Goals for 2009:

(I don't really like to make "resolutions" but I do like to establish some new goals.)

- Read at least 3 "classic" books. We have a ton on our shelf that just sit there. I want to read them before Leah gets to high school & beats me to them.

- Exercise to stay fit. About a month ago I did make it back to my pre-pregnancy weight. However, that weight was about 10 lbs. more than when I got married. I would like to lose a little more of that, but mostly I just want to exercise to stay healthy. This will also include eating healthier and not eating so much junk or caffeine.

Trip to Texas

Our family just got back from a whirlwind trip to visit Brett's family in Texas for the holidays. Here is a run-down of the trip:

Day 1- We flew into Houston and then immediately got in the car for a 9-hour drive to the eastern part of the state to visit Brett's brother, Brian. We got to the hotel around 1 am. Needless to say, we were pretty exhausted. Leah did great on the 4-hour plane ride. We were able to get a seat for her car seat & she managed to sleep for 2 one-hour stretches. The rest of the time she either ate or just sat in our laps and played. She didn't make a peep. The car ride also went well. She seems to think she has to go to sleep every time she's in her car seat, so she slept a lot, and we were able to feed her en route.

Leah's plane trip!

Day 2- We visited with Brian, and afterward, we drove another 4 hours back to central texas (Waco). We stopped on the way to have dinner with Brett's sister Brenda, her husband Jeff, and Nathan & Stephen. It was a short visit, but of course they loved meeting Leah & it was good to see the boys again. Afterward, we got back on the road another hour to Brett's oldest sister, Karen's. It was late again, so Leah was up well past her bedtime, but did just fine meeting her Aunt Karen, Uncle Johnny & her cousins Luke & Seth for the 1st time. We exchanged Christmas gifts that night.

Leah with Seth (10) & Luke (7)

Leah with Brenda, Jeff, Nathan & Stephen

Day 3- We got to sleep in! Well, Leah was up twice in the night, but we still slept till about 10. Then there was lots of visiting with Karen & Johnny and their boys. We got to go to Outback for dinner. Come to think of it, it seems like we ate a ton!

Day 4- Sleeping in again and more time with Karen & the boys. On our way out, we stopped to visit with Brett's aunt & uncle Barney & Leah (Leah is not really named after her, but we do like her name!). Leah made us a nice dinner and we had a good short visit with them. Finally, around 9 that night, we arrived at our final destination, Mom & Dad's house in south Texas. We must have been in the van a total of about 20 hours over the course of 3 days!

Leah with Nana & Papa

Day 5 & 6- Relaxation & time with Mom & Dad. We ate lots, watched tons of the Price is Right, a couple movies, stopped by to see Mom at her salon, took a drive around Port Lavaca to see all the changes, and they got to spend lots of time playing with Leah. Leah actually slept about 10 hours straight both nights, giving us some great rest! She's continued the trend since we got back, sleeping from 9pm to 7am every night.

Day 7- Back to the airport at 4 am for almost a full day of traveling. We had a stopover in Tampa, and got back home around 3pm. Again Leah did great! What a blessing we have in our easygoing little girl! We're glad to be home but it was altogether a great visit.