[GIVEAWAY} THE MOMMY MEASURE

You might have thought we were done with our giveaways but SURPRISE!!! We have a couple more fun giveaways including today's giveaway with Mommy Measure! We have followed this company for several years and have always LOVED this product.  

Mommy Measure is a decorative measuring tape that gives mother's a fun new way of documenting their pregnancy. It's an all-in-one pregnancy growth chart and journal. You can document your belly growth with the measuring tape and it comes complete with a marker that allows you to write a little milestone at the time of measurement. It's simple, easy, cute and fun!!

I Instagrammed this picture at 24 weeks when I really started feeling my baby boy kicking at night.

It's so fun to see how much my belly has grown throughout this pregnancy.

It's hard to believe I am in the homestretch of my pregnancy. My two boys can't wait to meet their new little brother and have so much fun helping me measure my tummy.

Mommy Measure is generously giving away two of their measuring tape kits for two lucky winners!! See below to enter and GOOD LUCK!!


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{GIVEAWAY} - DOORBELL DECOR

The giveaway for this week is from a company we discovered at the SacBaby Expo a few months ago. The company is called DoorBell Decor and the product and idea are genius!! We bought one at the Expo for our soon-to-be baby this October and enjoyed chatting with owner Krista and learning about how they came up with their product!

Anyone who has had a baby knows how defeating it can be when you put your baby down for a nap, they are finally sleeping, and the doorbell rings only to wake up your peacefully sleeping baby. Baby sleeping time equals precious mommy time and we, as mothers, would do anything to keep our babies sleeping. Have you ever seen a post it note on a doorbell that says, "please knock"? DoorBell Decor has come to the rescue! They have created cute tiles that are designed to slide over your doorbell when needed so that any visitors are forced to knock on your door. 

Doorbell Decor make tiles for all kinds of purposes and you can change them out as needed. Below is an example of a tile to keep those babies sleeping:

This gives you an idea of what it looks like on your wall over your doorbell:

There are tiles for people who work night shift or anyone going through cancer treatments...

Do you live in an area inundated with solicitors?? There is a tile for that!

If you just don't want people to use your doorbell, there are other options, like this, that can decoratively hide your doorbell.

Doorbell Decor has several tiles to choose from for any occasion! I can't wait to use mine this Fall. 

They has graciously offered to give one of their tiles away for this giveaway. Enter below and good luck!!

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Daddy Scrubs : The Perfect Gift for Dad GIVEAWAY ~ Just in Time for Father's Day!!

Father's Day is just around the corner so we thought it would only be fitting for our next giveaway to be something for all the great dads out there! We have partnered with DaddyScrubs and are really excited about this giveaway because Annie & Isabel Hospital Gowns + DaddyScrubs = the PERFECT delivery room combo!

Among the many great products they offer, DaddyScrubs sells scrubs for dads so how could we, as nurses, not love them??!! Annie & Isabel makes moms feel special and DaddyScrubs provides special daddy gifts to make all the dads feel special.

Check out their latest DaddyScrubs product...these ties! Wouldn't they make a great Father's Day present? The word search tie in the middle has words like "Superman", "#1Fan", and "Ouchiefixer"...SO adorable! 

For this giveaway, DaddyScrubs is generously giving away "The Big Daddy Gift Set" shown below:

"The Big Daddy Gift Set" is the perfect gift for Father's Day, or any day for that matter! It will encourage Dad to bond with his children whether they're exploring the great outdoors or snuggled up on the couch reading "What Daddy Duck Love" together! This set is valued at $195 and retails for $155.95 on the DaddyScrubs website.  It includes the following items:

• Vintage Blue Hat
• DaddyBear Gift Set
• DaddyDuck Gift Set
• I'm the Daddy Bottle Sleeve
• I'm the Daddy Water Bottle
• Big Daddy Hook
• I'm the Daddy Sunglasses
• Bug Spray from Daddy's Naturals line
• Sun Block from Daddy's Naturals line
• Daddy Back pack to put everything in!!

GET YOUR FATHER'S DAY SHOPPING DONE and WIN this contest! Enter below and check out DaddyScrubs website for great gift ideas at www.daddyscrubs.com

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Passing Along The Love

One of the privileges of having a business like Annie & Isabel is that we often have the opportunity to "meet" very brave, giving, and loving women. Less than a week ago, we received an email from Emily. She wrote to us about her sixty-six year old mother, who was struggling with Alzheimers, and had recently become bed bound.

Dressing her mother in regular clothing was becoming difficult and Emily wanted her to have something stylish to wear. Fashion and style were always important to her mother and she didn't want her mother to have to sacrifice that now. Emily thought that Annie & Isabel hospital gowns would be the perfect solution, so she purchased two gowns for her mom.  We sent them out the next day. We then received this sad, yet beautiful, email from Emily:

"Unfortunately mom passed away Saturday morning before she got the chance to put on her gown (she only wore the drab one from the facility for a couple of hours, though. They kept her in her usual fashionable wardrobe almost until the end). Fortunately, and most importantly, it was very peaceful and my dad and I were there to hold her hand."

Emily is seated next to her mother 

"I was wondering if I could turn around and send the gowns back to you all so that you could donate them to 1-2 deserving women who need them now. The refund isn't important but getting them into the hands of women who need them is and I would love to help you all out with that."

What a beautiful way to honor her mother by passing on the comfort, style and dignity provided by our gowns to other deserving women.

At the same time that we were corresponding with Emily, coincidentally, we received an email from another woman, Kaitlyn, who told us about her sister, Jaime, who is dealing with a recent diagnosis of cervical cancer that has spread significantly.  Jaime is going to be having surgery, radiation and possibly chemotherapy soon. Kaitlyn wrote to us saying:

 "I feel ashamed asking for something from a total stranger but my sister saw your site and really wanted something comfortable and pretty to wear during her hospital duration. Would you be able to give her a gown as I can't afford one and neither can she?"

Jaime is having extensive surgery today and, thanks to the generosity and giving spirit of Emily, Jaime will be recovering in our Anita gown.

Jaime is described by her sister as one of the most selfless people she knows. She has been married for 12 years to her high school sweetheart and has two small children that are 7 and 5 years old who mean the world to her. She always thinks of others before herself and has been known to give other children Christmas presents when their parents couldn't afford them. Kaitlyn wrote, "She is a strong person and I know she will fight this."

We would love it if you would send good thoughts and prayers for Jaime that she has a successful surgery today and that she can fight and win this battle. We would also love it if you could keep Emily and her family in your thoughts as they celebrate her mother's life and deal with a huge loss in their own lives.

May we all learn from these beautiful women and their selfless acts of kindness. It only takes a small act to make a big difference in someone's life. We challenge you all to do something selfless this week and make a difference in someone's life.  Good works can have a trickle down effect.

A Year Ago I Was Diagnosed With Cancer And Today....I'm A Survivor!!

Today I am a one year cancer survivor! One year ago, to the day, I received some pretty bad news from my doctor. I was told I had thyroid cancer. It is a day I remember quite vividly....kind of like how those of us that have had children can so vividly remember the birth of each of our children...only this memory is not a happy one. I remember the exact time my surgeon called me to deliver the news.....6:30 pm. I remember the shock I felt inside as he delivered the news over the phone and hearing those words "You have cancer." I remember hearing my surgeon tell me that I would need a second surgery and then treatment to rid my body of this cancer and the helpless feeling of not knowing what that would feel like.

I remember not being able to control my emotions and completely losing it in front of my sweet boys and husband the second I hung up the phone. Lastly, I remember the calls I made to  my parents, sister and brother, who were all out of town, and listening to the shock in their voices as they discovered their daughter and sister would have to fight cancer.  I cried a lot that day...more than I had ever cried in my adult life! It's a day I would love to forget, but, I can't, because it changed my life forever. It also changed the lives of those in my family forever. Some of these changes have been hard to accept but many of the changes have been gifts, and that is what I hold onto and celebrate.

While I was crying one year ago, I am jumping up for joy and celebrating today!! I am FINALLY feeling pretty good and, so far, all tests I've had show no evidence of cancer. My biggest tests are coming up in March but I'm optimistic!! Cancer has taught me many things and the aftermath of cancer and the treatment to keep it away continues to challenge me. I will never let it get the best of me, though, because I am a fighter. I AM A SURVIVOR!

My talented friend, Lara Kiniris, who has an amazing company called The Calligraphy Girl, made the cancer ribbon at the top of this post in honor of my one year survivor anniversary. The ribbon contains words that describe my journey with thyroid cancer over this past year. Some of these words include: Faith, Hope, Love, Fight, Live, Breathe, Kick Cancer's Butt, Support, Livestrong, Overcome, Stand Up 2 Cancer, Struggle, Radioactive, Isolation, Family, I Am Blessed, and Survivor, among many other words. I feel so lucky to have this beautiful ribbon because it will remind me of the journey I've had with cancer and how blessed I am to live each day of my life....a true gift!

Some people might think it is strange to celebrate the anniversary of being diagnosed with cancer. For me, however, it is not a celebration of a diagnosis but rather a celebration of life. I am celebrating making it through a tough journey. I am celebrating feeling good. I am celebrating a new appreciation for my family, friends and my health. I am celebrating being a SURVIVOR!!

"The Free Dictionary" defines "survivor" as follows: "to carry on despite hardships or trauma; persevere. To live, persist." I prefer my personal definition of "survivor" which is: "A person who has looked cancer in the eye, has kicked it's butt with the love and support of family and friends, and has learned to enjoy every second, minute, and day of her life to the fullest!!" You are looking at one happy woman who is ready to celebrate many more years of being a survivor! Happy One Year Cancer Survivor Anniversary to Me:-)

~Anna

THANK YOU ~ The Magic of Facebook

We just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU....to our Facebook fans, Twitter followers, friends and customers.  You truly are the BEST fans and you motivate us to keep doing what we do every day. 

This last week we posted the story of Jen Roper, a young wife and mom of five beautiful children, who was undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous brain tumor.  We asked you to help us by sending her good thoughts and prayers and "liking" and "sharing" our Facebook post to rally even more thoughts, prayers, and loving comments from all over the country via Facebook.   When we post things like this we always keep our fingers crossed because we know in order for a post to have a chance of going "viral" our core Facebook fans must "like" and "share" it and  BOY DID YOU EVER!!!!  Here is the current status of this post:

The "likes" and comments keep coming in!!!!  Go to our FACEBOOK page now and you will see that there will be even more "likes" and comments.  In addition...this facebook post was shared by 129 people which also continues to grow.  The blog post we did about Jen has had thousands of views by people in over 10 countries!

This makes us so happy because anyone who has gone through a difficult time knows that having a tremendous amount of support, even from strangers, makes a big difference.  Jen has already expressed thanks for your support and as she recovers from this surgery and gears up for chemotherapy and radiation, to get rid of the small amount of her brain tumor that is left, we would love if you keep the thoughts and prayers coming her way.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.  You have helped make a family feel loved and supported.....and that means a lot:-)  You can follow Jen's journey via her blog - The Roper's.

 

The Answer Is.....Thyroid Cancer + An Update on My Journey with Cancer

Did you know that the month of September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month?  I'm guessing you probably don't know this, unless, like I, you have had thyroid cancer.  There is reason to give thyroid cancer some thought.  Did you know that thyroid cancer is the fastest increasing cancer in both men and women?  Since my diagnosis, I have met so many people that have had thyroid cancer and I find that alarming!!  The good news is that most types of thyroid cancer, while not an easy cancer to deal with, are very curable when found early, and especially when found in people under the age of 45 years.  I want to encourage you all to do your own "neck check" to look for unusual bumps or swelling in the area of your thyroid (which is just below your adams apple).  Here is a good process for doing your own neck check:

I feel lucky that one of my doctors noticed that my thyroid was enlarged over four years ago. At the time, I would have never thought to check my neck.  While it took four years to determine I had cancer, it appears that the cancer didn't spread anywhere and, since I am under the age of 45, I was considered to have stage one cancer. That brings me to how I am doing today.......

The last time I blogged about my thyroid cancer, I had just finished treatment and proclaimed that I had kicked cancer's butt.  Now, almost six months later, I still believe that I have kicked cancer's butt, however, it has not been the easiest of roads.  Like most thyroid cancer patients, I was initially told by my endocrinologist and surgeon that thyroid cancer is very curable and that I was lucky because it was caught early.  Those things were very true and wonderful but I translated that into thinking that I would get through my surgeries and treatment, be started on hormone replacement medication, start to feel normal again, and move on with my life with the exception of a lot more doctors appointments and tests in my future.  Over the last few months, I have realized that this is not the case.  The thing my doctors did not prepare me for was the tremendous impact that losing my thyroid would take on my body.  I did not realize that by taking synthetic thyroid hormones I would feel nothing like how I had felt when my own precious thyroid was working.  The thyroid gland controls our metabolism and is responsible for giving us the energy we need to function each day.....among a lot of other things.  The end result is that I am left with an increased amount of fatigue on an almost daily basis.  I am doing so much better than I was just a few months ago and, occasionally, I forget that I ever had cancer.  I still have a ways to go before I feel close to "normal".  I am learning to accept the "new" me and I still hope to feel even better in the next few months.  Sometimes, however, it is just hard and I find myself missing my "old" energetic self.

I would never choose to have cancer in a million years but I continue to be grateful for the lessons cancer has taught me:

Be Thankful For Each New Day 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday......there is not a bad day of the week.  Each new day we have is a blessing and we should live it to the fullest.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

When I finished my cancer treatment and began to gain some energy, I could feel myself getting sucked right back into the daily grind of life.  It's kind of unavoidable when you have four boys to cart all over the place.  Cancer has kept me in check, though, because I say, "hey....I had cancer....this is not worth stressing over."Sometimes a little timeout in life can really help too:-)

My youngest experiencing timeout at OfficeMax:-)

Give to Others

I had so much support when I was going through treatment for my thyroid cancer and it reminded me of the importance of giving to others.  I feel blessed that I get to work in an Emergency Department because it gives me the opportunity to give to others every day that I work.  I don't take my role as a nurse for granted and I look for ways that I can make a difference in other's lives both inside and outside of work.  Cancer has given me a refreshed energy to be more compassionate and sympathetic to others.

Don't Take Anything for Granted

After realizing how much I took my healthy self for granted and the energy I used to have, I now see the importance of slowing down, enjoying my life, my family, my precious boys, and the beauty of the world around me.......and having a little fun while I'm at it!

Be a Good Friend to Someone
I have always valued my friendships but having cancer made me realize the importance of friendships.  I am blessed with some amazing friends and I want to remember to cherish these relationships.  A true friend is someone who is by your side in good times and bad.

True friends help even when it requires a little dirty work

Family is Important
Cancer didn't teach me this lesson because I've always known this and have been blessed to have an amazing family my whole life.  Cancer did make me realize, however, that having a close, loving family makes getting through tough times a whole lot easier.

I am still healing from this cancer and it has forever changed me, but in the long run.....I am going to be a better person for it.  At the end of this month,  I will have my first big tests to determine if this cancer is gone and then more tests will be done at the one year mark.  I would love it if you could send some good thoughts my way as I am a little anxious about this since thyroid cancer has a high recurrence rate but I'm thinking positive thoughts and looking forward to a healthy future!!!

So, for me........please check your necks!!

{GIVEAWAY} Hospital Bag Essentials :: Everyone Poops

Plain and simple....we are all human and everyone does it. We take measures to hide this fact, but when you're in the tight quarters of a hospital there is nowhere to hide. It can be very stressful and humiliating to create a not-so-pleasant smell while away from the comforts of home. Let's just say, you don't want your nurse to call a "Code Brown"....seriously. 

We knew that some kind of room spray would make our "Hospital Bag Essentials" list. In our search for the perfect spray, we came across Poo-Pourri. The name caught our eye and we soon realized that Poo-Pourri is not your average room spray...It tackles the problem before it ever starts.. in the toilet. With a few sprays to the bowl, no one will ever know you were there. 

Poo-Pourri sells products like...  

• Loo-Pourri ~ A Preemptive Bathroom Scent With a Touch of Elegance
• No. 2 ~ Spray the Loo Before No.2 and No One Will Ever Have a Clue!
• De'ja' Poo ~ You've Been Here Before, but Now with A Scent you Adore!
• Royal Flush ~ Great Washroom Scents for all Distinguished Gents!

We don't want you to be caught in a "Code Brown" situation in the hospital or even at a friends house, so here is your chance to win your very own Poo Pourri!  We will have SIX lucky winners. We have 2 gift sets {pictured below} and 4 other single bottles of Poo-Pourri to share.  

So 6th on our Hospital Bag Essential List is.....Poo Pourri for your hospital room.

1. Annie & Isabel Hospital Gown - giveaway closed
2. Your Own Shower gel, Loofa, Lotion, & Lip Gloss/Balm - giveaway closed
3. Comfy Socks - giveaway closed
4. Journal or Notebook - giveaway closed
5. Flip Flops - to enter click here * closes midnight 12/15 PST
6. Smart Phone, Sound Dock & Favorite Playlist - to enter click here * closes midnight 12/18 PST
7. Room Spray like Poo Pourri - enter via this post
8. ?
9. ?
10. ?

To enter this giveaway you can do ONE or ALL of the following:

1.  Like Annie & Isabel on FACEBOOK AND like this giveaway post on our FACEBOOK page

2.  Tweet "Enter the @annieandisabel giveaway so you will never be caught in a #CodeBrown @poopourri1" http://bit.ly/sf91GH

3. Share our post on your facebook wall by hitting the share button on our post and saying "Enter the Annie & Isabel Facebook giveaway so you will never be victim to a "Code Brown" http://bit.ly/sf91GH

GIVEAWAY ENDS MONDAY 12/19 AT MIDNIGHT PST. 

This gives you up to 3 entries into this contest!!!  Good Luck and...

*Giveaway is open to only US residents and winners will be picked randomly. We were not compensated for this post and we chose to feature Poo-Pourri in our Hospital Bag Essentials list. We were given products from Poo-Pourri to share with our readers. 

Esther's Testimonial and An Appearance on the TV Show "The Doctors"!

One of the greatest rewards of having our company, Annie & Isabel, is the opportunity to come into contact with , learn from and often be inspired by the amazing women that wear our designer hospital gowns.  The women that share their stories with us always remain in our hearts and often in our prayers as they battle a disease or deal with unusual diagnoses or circumstances.  The testimonial we are sharing today is no different.   This testimonial comes from, Esther, who is a young mother of two beautiful children. We were contacted by Esther because she was interested in wearing one of our designer hospital gowns to recover from a rare surgery to correct a condition called Pectus Excavatum.  The surgery Esther endured to correct this condition was very invasive and required a lengthy recovery.  We were so happy that Esther was able to enjoy wearing one of our hospital gowns to provide some comfort, dignity and a little style during her hospital stay!!

We have been anxious to share Esther's testimonial with you because her story may be featured on the television show, "The Doctors"!

A part of her surgery was filmed for the show in order to share her story in hopes that it can help anyone else dealing with this condition. While our hospital gown was not filmed during the pre-operation and surgery it still feels pretty cool to know that we played a small part in Esther's successful surgery and recovery.

Esther is a 33 year old woman who is married and the mother of two beautiful children. She was born with Pectus Excavatum which is a congenital condition in which a person's sternum and several ribs grow abnormally, causing a large indent in a person's chest. People can live symptom free of this condition but in more severe cases it can cause problems. Esther had never had problems until she had her second child. It was at that time that she began experiencing shortness of breath, a racing heart and an inability to physically exert herself to a normal activity level.  She also had severe pain in the middle of her chest that she described as the feeling of "a knife being plunged in one end and out the other." She realized that she needed to undergo a pretty radical surgery in which a metal bar is placed in her chest to hold up the chest wall and allow her muscles and tendons to grow and strenghthen and learn their "new" position, at which time the metal bar will be removed.

Esther has undergone a very painful and long recovery but we are happy to report that she is beginning to get back to her normal daily activities with a much higher quality of life. This surgery has been a life savor for both Esther and her family!

Esther recovered in style with her "Susan" Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown. While you can tell she had just undergone a major surgery, she looked pretty good in her hospital gown!

Here is what she had to say about wearing her Annie & Isabel hospital gown:

"I absolutely LOVED the "Susan" hospital gown. It made me feel like a human being at a time when my entire world had turned upside down. I felt like a woman wearing the gown and not a specimen or science experiment. It was very pretty and beyond pretty. It was fun and had personality. I also got many compliments about the gown, and that felt really good and made me feel a whole lot more comfortable given that I had just had a metal bar literally shoved into my chest, and wasn't feeling so hot in general. I also liked the thickness and quality of the material and how when it covered my body, it was not revealing in the slightest. I appreciated the modesty it afforded me, both laying in the bed, and walking around the hospital wing. All in all, I was so happy to have such a pretty gown to recover in."

Thank you for such a nice testimonial Esther.  We know you will be enjoying a much better quality of life and can now fully enjoy playing with those beautiful children of yours!

The "Annie" Hospital Gown Brings Comfort During a Tough Pregnancy and Hospital Stays

Today's testimonial comes from Michelle who is a friend and co-worker of mine.  Michelle is an Emergency Room nurse and knows, first hand, how terrible standard hospital gowns are. She was excited to purchase her own Annie & Isabel gown well before her sweet little daughter was born. It was a good thing Michelle ordered her gown early, because, unfortunately she had some unexpected hospital stays during her pregnancy.

Michelle picked the "Annie" designer hospital gown to wear during her hospital stays and gave us a very nice testimonial below:

"I wanted to let you know how much I loved having my gown for my hospital stays during my pregnancy.  I was admitted a couple times during my pregnancy due to preeclampsia and it was hard to be away from my young son and husband; especially not having my baby yet to keep me occupied.  It was really nice to have a hospital gown that I was comfortable in, and that smelled like home during those stays.  I got so many compliments from nurses, doctors, and other patients during my stays and while being stuck on bedrest in the hospital was hard, it made me feel a bit better being able to wear something of my own style and that I knew was clean.  The gown was wonderful during the frequent fetal monitoring.  It was also great to wear after the birth of my daughter.  I loved having the snaps on the sleeves to help with pumping and since my little one was in the NICU I had to pump often.  The pocket was wonderful to put my camera and cellphone in during my visits to see my daughter.  I will definitely recommend these gowns to my friends - it's so nice to wear something of your own during hospital stays, and the gowns are perfectly designed for monitoring, breastfeeding, pumping, and walking to and from your room while maintaining modesty."

Congratulations and thank you Michelle!!! Your new family of four is beautiful. 

This New Mom Rocked her Annie & Isabel Hospital Gown for Labor, Delivery & Recovery!!!

We always love when we get an order from someone who is excited to gift one of our Annie & Isabel hospital gowns to a friend for the delivery of their baby.  It is such a fun, unique gift to give a friend that is sure to bring a smile to their face.  We received a nice testimonial from Corina, who delivered her first baby recently.  She received her "Anita" designer hospital gown from her good friend Jenn.

Here is Jenn with Corina.  Jenn didn't want Corina to wear this dreadful, oversized standard hospital gown...........

 Jenn and Corina in the early stages of labor - love the starbucks!!

 

So she gave Corina the "Anita" gown for a more comfortable, stylish delivery:

Corina getting excited to bring her baby boy into the world!!

Trying to get labor moving faster.......and texting:-)

Proud mama with baby Chase.  He was born a healthy 7lbs 5oz after 16 hours of labor

Corina was able to enjoy her designer hospital gown for her labor, delivery and recovery!!  Here is what she had to say about her experience:

"The gown was great!  It was very comfortable and a size small fit perfectly.  I received compliments all day from staff, visitors and other moms.  I liked the pockets and the option to snap or tie the gown at the neck.  The gown was great for recovery as well and made nursing much easier compared to regular clothes.  I will be wearing my gown again at my next delivery."

Congratulations Corina!!  Welcome to the wonderful world of motherhood.  Thanks to Jenn, too,  for keeping your good friend comfortable and stylish throughout her hospital stay.

Annie & Isabel Celebrates One Year Anniversary & Introduces the "Feel Better Campaign"

Annie & Isabel just celebrated its one year anniversary and, when we think about what we have accomplished over this last year, it really excites us. We received our first batch of gowns on April 9th, 2010 and haven't looked back since. We have been so humbled by the number of companies, mom bloggers, and Annie & Isabel fans who have wanted to spread the news about our company to others. We thank every single one of you because you have helped make us who we are and you have also helped countless women have a much more stylish, comfortable and dignified hospital stay!!

As a one year anniversary present to ourselves, we have given Annie & Isabel a website makeover and are excited to share it with you now here:

ANNIE & ISABEL

We really love it and hope you do too. We want to thank Foss Marketing Group for helping us build a website that we absolutely love! While browsing around the website make sure you scroll over the pics on the homepage and the pics in the shop area. Check back often, too, as we will be continuing to add testimonials to the testimonial section.

We also want to take this time to announce a new and exciting program we are going to launch. This program is extremely important to us because a part of our mission has always been to give back to the community. We have done this from the beginning with our Elizabeth gown by giving back to breast cancer patients. You can read about that HERE.

Our new program is called the "Feel Better Campaign". We have always known that our hospital gowns make wonderful gifts for people who are sick in the hospital. What we didn't realize when starting this business was how hard it would be to not just GIVE people our gowns. Through twitter and facebook we have "met" some wonderful and brave people dealing with difficult diagnoses. Deep down we would love to just give each and every one of these people one of our hospital gowns because we know our hospital gowns provide dignity, comfort and a small sense of control during a time when people feel most vulnerable. We are also both nurses and our instinct is to always help people in need and so when we find out about someone who has to be in the hospital we want so much for them to have one of our hospital gowns because we know it will brighten their stay!!

We have already seen how the gift of one of our hospital gowns to an ill person can bring a smile to a person's face during a difficult time. You can see that here from Kristin, Katie and Beth!! We have always said when you look great, you feel better!! The problem is that if we gave gowns to everyone ill in the hospital then we would quickly be out of business:)

Only days after suffering a cardiac arrest

Hours after open heart surgery

Days after receiving a lung transplant

Annie & Isabel's the "Feel Better Campaign" is a program in which we will give away an Annie & Isabel hospital gown to one deserving person on a semi-annual basis. We want you, our fans, to be involved too!!! We want nominations from people on twitter, facebook and , YOU, our fans!! You just need to email us at wecare@annieandisabel.com and tell us about the person you are nominating and why you think they would love to have one of our hospital gowns.

While we are just announcing this program now, we have already been giving back in this way and we would like to introduce you to the first recipients of Annie & Isabel's the "Feel Better Campaign". The first recipient was Noelle, who is now a breast cancer survivor. She was the first to wear our Elizabeth gown and you can read her story HERE.

Lauren was our second recipient. Lauren is a teenager who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in April of 2010 and is now cancer free. She wore the Isabel designer hospital gown during her treatments. You can read about her HERE.

Beth Peters, who has cystic fibrosis, was our third recipient. We "met" Beth through twitter and, at the time we met her, she was on the transplant list to receive new lungs. When we found out through twitter that she had been called to the hospital for a possible match, we knew we needed to send her our gowns. We couldn't imagine her having to spend so much time in the hospital with those yucky gowns. Beth's sister picked out her Annie & Isabel hospital gowns. She picked the Elizabeth since that is her sister's name and the Annie. She told us she liked the Annie because of the fact that our great-grandmother lived to be 98 years old and she wished that for her sister. How wonderful is that??!! We hope that for Beth too. Beth is doing well with her new lungs and she recently wrote a very nice blog post about us HERE.

Happy anniversary to Annie & Isabel!! We look forward to many more years of providing patients with more stylish, dignified and comfortable hospital stays. We want to thank all our fans as you have greatly helped us to be where we are today and we don't take that for granted. We appreciate each and every one of you!!!!