Will the phone ring Jan. 1? Will it be as late as Jan. 9? The staff of The Chronicle always wait and wonder when the phone will ring, or in recent years when the email will come, asking if their child could possibly be the first Jewish baby of the year.
If you know someone who may qualify as the first baby of 2012, call Chronicle Editor Barbara Bayer at 913-951-8425 or send an email to . The family of this year’s first Jewish baby will win a variety of prizes and will be featured in an upcoming issue of The Chronicle.
Ironically, the first Jewish baby, or in one case babies, was born on the same day each of the past three years. All four babies were born on Jan. 9.
Twins Hannah and Nick Small were born Jan. 9, 2009. They are the children of Lisa and David Small. David Small is now the president of MetroMedia, the parent company of The Chronicle.
Leo Covitz was born the following year, Jan. 9, 2010. Now almost 2, he is the son of Amy and Jeff Covitz.
“It was great to win prizes,” noted Amy Covitz.
“We stayed at the InterContinental hotel on our anniversary and Leo’s bris was completely catered,” she explained. That year one prize was a one-night stay at the InterContinental hotel on the Plaza and another business provided pastries and hor d’oerves, which were served at Leo’s bris.
Last year Emma Furey was born prematurely on Jan. 9, 2011. She is the daughter of Amy Ravis Furey and Brian Furey. Little Emma spent three weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit. She weighed 4 pounds, 4 ounces and as she prepares to celebrate her first birthday, mother Amy Ravis Furey estimates she weighs about 16 pounds now.
“She is crawling and pulling up, right on track for almost 1,” Emma’s mother reports.
The Fureys also enjoyed a one-night’s stay at the InterContinental.
“Brian and I were able to get away just after my birthday for a concert and a night’s stay and we had a great time. There is nothing more appreciated than an uninterrupted night of sleep. Thank you for a great gift,” Furey said.
The prizes for the 2012 first Jewish baby, all provided by Chronicle advertisers, can be found on pages 14 and 15.