Sydney Pia Hurley

Baby Girl Hurley's due date was January 19th, 2009 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I woke up on that Monday morning at 6AM with an odd feeling in my belly - anticipation? Maybe. But also a stomach bug. As I rushed to the toilet, I thought it was a good thing that Dana's belly had been so small... she'd probably be a week late. I fought the violent bug all morning, but Dana made her way through the frozen subways and streets to her doctor for a check-up. Her midwife said, "See you soon!" Oh boy.

Sure enough, come 6PM, things really started to happen. I managed to straighten myself up with a shower and a couple of slaps to my own face to knock out the 101 fever. Dana was growing certain that this would be the night. Thankfully, she's very tough and patient... by 9PM, with contractions coming every couple of minutes, I had cleaned the snow off of the car and Dana had made her way downstairs.

The drive was not as frantic as I had expected - Atlantic Avenue, the Brooklyn Bridge and the FDR were all pretty clear. NYU Hospital was empty, and soon Dana was admitted. She was moving along quickly. The hospital was a little short-staffed, what with it being a holiday and all. It seems someone forgot to mention this to Baby Girl. Still, even with fewer nurses available, Sydney made her appearance only about 3 hours late: 3:18AM on Tuesday, January 20th. Not too bad.

She was born 8 pounds (3635 grams) and 21 inches long (53 centimeters). We got to see those little skis that were kicking mommy's ribs for so long, and hear the healthy lungs as they cried out for the very first time. Dana was incredible throughout the entire process, and she still looked ready for a night on the town after it was all done.

Even after so many people prepped me for the event with such vague phrases as, "You can't even imagine...," I was blown away by the experience. That little baby... once was in there... now is out here... I can't even explain... ok, now I get it.

Here's a video I took about an hour after Syd was born:


Sydney's first name is in honour of all our friends in Australia. Her middle name is in honor of Dana's maternal grandmother.

Dana was settled into her room by about 6:30AM that morning. I drove back home down the FDR and over the Brooklyn Bridge as cold, winter, morning light was starting to illuminate the city. It was a transcendent moment, and I didn't flip off anyone who cut me off.