Annie & Isabel Helps In Naming a Baby!

We always love a good Annie & Isabel story and this one melts our hearts! This new mother, Kimberly, gave birth to her beautiful daughter on September 6th. Read how she and her husband decided on the name for her daughter. Hope this story makes you smile as much as we did:-)

"As soon as we found out we were having a girl, my husband immediately came up with the name Evelyn and I added the name Grace to make it our perfect name. Although we loved the name, neither of us felt we could really commit to it 100% until we saw her! Multiple times we thought, "What if she comes and she's just not an Evelyn??"As the months went by, I began to second guess our name and told my husband we needed a back up "just in case". Starting that process wasn't easy and there wasn't ANY other name that we LOVED so much, so it felt like an overwhelming task. At around this time (August), my sister, Kristi, had prompted me to go to your site and pick my favorite gown as she had generously volunteered to buy me one for my shower."

Kimberly with sister, Kristi, on the left

"So I went to Annie & Isabel's website and was only paying attention to the patterns of the hospital gowns. I didn't even see that they were named! There was one that I felt "really spoke to me" with it's vibrant colors and pretty combination of pink, purples & orange. Of all the choices, I knew this pattern was the one and so I clicked on it. Low and behold it was named the "Evelyn".  I gasped and said out loud OMG it's a sign!!! From that moment on we 100% committed to our name and my precious Evelyn Grace came into our world on Friday, September 6th!"

"Putting my gown on really made me feel like myself again and gave me back the confidence to get out and walk around the hospital! I loved the compliments I got as well. It was a big hit with other new moms and the nursing staff! Thank you so much!!"


Welcome to the world Evelyn Grace and thank you to Kimberly's sister, Kristi, for keeping her sister comfortable and stylish in the hospital!!

A Beautiful Baby Daughter and Beautiful New Mom In Her "Annie" Designer Hospital Gown

We received this testimonial from Andrea, who recently gave birth to the most beautiful little girl! Just look at those cheeks! Thank you Andrea for taking the time to tell us how much you loved your "Annie" designer hospital gown! It always means the world to us, especially coming from a fellow RN! 

"I had my daughter, Caroline, almost three weeks ago, and I really loved my Annie & Isabel gown. I ended up having a C-section and had to stay in the hospital for four days, so it got a lot of use :) The gown was much more functional than a regular hospital gown and I absolutely loved it. I got many compliments as well!"

-Andrea

From The Joy of a New Life to a Battle with Leukemia :: The Story of One Annie & Isabel Hospital Gown

Jill was my very first friend. Growing up, our houses shared a fence and we were constantly hopping over to one another's house to play. All of my favorite childhood memories included Jill and I cherish them dearly. We thought we were hilarious. We would spend our summer days making up dance routines in the pool, setting up lemonade and cookies stands in the neighborhood, and our afternoons watching the soap Days of Our Lives and eating popcorn. Long live Bo and Hope Brady. Are they still together? 

Jill has two beautiful daughters, Camryn and Sadie, and we were so happy that she was able to wear our Anita designer hospital gown for the birth of her second sweetheart Sadie. This is what Jill had to say about wearing an Annie & Isabel gown for her birth, 

"Wearing my gorgeous A& I hospital gown while delivering Sadie, truly made one of the best days of my life even more special". 

Jill, like many of our wonderful friends, has become an Annie & Isabel ambassador. She sings our praises to everyone she knows and we are so thankful. Jill was one of our first believers, not because she experienced wearing one of our gowns, but because she understands how a simple and beautiful hospital gown of your own, can change almost everything about being in the hospital.

Jill even wrote to The Ellen Show last year and told her all about Annie & Isabel and how she might like to have us on the show. We all thought Ellen would be calling us right away, especially because her mother is a breast cancer survivor and we donate a portion of our proceeds to support women who are newly diagnosed. CLEARLY, Ellen must have not received her letter! Ellen... are you out there??? We are still free for an interview ANY time that is convenient for you. K? Thanks.

Jill thinks of us. Always. She is an amazing friend. Even better, she has not let the legacy of her own Anita designer hospital gown end with Sadie's birth over two years ago.

Jill shared it with her friend Danni who had this to say,

"This picture is of my husband and me right before I delivered our son Benjamin. Thank goodness for epidurals, hence my smile...and my Annie & Isabel gown, which made me feel so cute and hip!"

Last week, I got a text from Jill that her good friend Patricia had been unexpectantly admitted to the hospital with acute leukemia. Patricia's spirits were low and Jill thought about Annie & Isabel once again and rushed over to the hospital with her gown in hand. She sent me the most adorable picture of Patrica and her sons shortly after, with big smiles on her faces.

Jill knew that Patricia would unfortunately be getting good use out of her borrowed Anita gown, so she surprised Patricia on Mother's Day with her own Annie & Isabel "Susan" designer hospital gown and posted this picture to our Facebook wall.

Here is what Jill said about gifting her our Susan designer hospital gown on Mother's Day,

"It was honestly amazing the difference in her spirit (and her smile) when she put her new A&I gown on today! It's been a very rough week and an especially tough Mother's Day, having to deal with more blood transfusions and a high fever. She is hanging in there and wearing her gown with pride and even showing it off! I LOVE how happy it makes her! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Patricia now has three Annie & Isabel gowns in her rotation and we are thinking about her daily as the Annie & Isabel warrior that she is. Please keep Patricia in your thoughts as she kicks cancer's butt!

Thank you Jill for keeping the dignity, comfort, and style alive with you Anita designer hospital gown!

Have you shared your Annie & Isabel with a friend? We'd love to hear the story of your gown!

~written by Jilly Bean's BFF Selena (co-owner of Annie & Isabel)

KCRA Channel 3's Leticia Ordaz Welcomes a New Baby Boy!!

It is such a pleasure to share this beautiful testimonial from Leticia Ordaz today.  For those of you that are local to Sacramento, you probably recognize Leticia Ordaz. She is a news reporter for KCRA Channel 3. She is a beautiful person inside and out and recently welcomed her first child into the world.  We feel so honored that she wore one our "Isabel" Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown during her hospital stay. We also, once again, have the most amazing pictures to share with you from Brenda Bisharat Photography, who captured the first precious moments of the Ordaz's new family together. These are some photos that we know Leticia and her family will always cherish.....such a beatiful family!

Leticia wore the "Isabel" designer gown during her hospital stay.  Here is what she had to say about her experience wearing her Annie & Isabel hospital gown:

"I wanted to let you know I absolutely loved my designer Annie and Isabel hospital gown. Your blue "Isabel" gown made me feel so glamorous after giving birth.  The hospital staff at Sutter, along with my friends and family commented that I didn't look like I had just been through hours of labor.  The gown made me feel beautiful.  Thanks for creating a wonderful garment for new mothers.  Brenda Bisharat's beautiful photos really helped capture my joy of becoming a mother for the first time.  I can't thank you enough for making my special day even more memorable.  I loved the gown so much, I have the picture of me and my sweet son Maxton on my facebook profile."

Leticia Ordaz ~ Sacramento, CA

Our "Isabel" designer hospital gown will be making it's second appearance on national television tomorrow night on abc's Private Practice! Watch the preview here to see Addison, played by Kate Walsh, in the gown. This episode airs Thursday at 10pm.

A New Baby and a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

We received a beautiful testimonial from Anne that we feel honored to share with you today. In the picture below, Anne is getting ready to celebrate the birth of her 3rd son. She looks radiant in her Anita designer hospital gown and you can see the joy and excitement in her face as she anticipates the arrival of another blessing to her family. You would never know by the picture below that Anne had been diagnosed with breast cancer just two weeks prior to this day.

We found out about Anne through friends who wanted to buy her some Annie & Isabel hospital gowns for the birth of her son and for her upcoming breast cancer surgery. Anne was given four Annie & Isabel hospital gowns by different people which we knew was a true testament to the type of person Anne is. We were so touched to read an excerpt from a blog that Anne's husband started in order to keep family and friends updated on her progress. Here is what he wrote:

"As you know, my beautiful wife and best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer on Friday 11/12/10. We were shocked to hear this unfortunate news. After we had time to process the facts, one of the things we quickly realized was how much love and support there was around us. I am at a loss for words. I do not quite know how to thank all of you for your kind thoughts, prayers, messages and gestures. You have truly touched both of our hearts. Anne is an amazing person as many of you know. This fact is evidenced in part by the wonderful friends and family who surround her. Thanks again to all for their continued support and a special thank you to our families for all the love and assistance they have given already."

"To my wife:

You are such a unique and extraordinary individual, mother, wife and friend. To know you is truly to love you. You are the bright light in our family and you make me and the boys happier than I can articulate. I love you to pieces and will always be here for you no matter what comes our way. Stay strong and I know you will prevail."

Prevail she has. Anne had her first surgery to remove the breast cancer only 4 days after giving birth to her son. You can tell she was ready to fight in her sassy "Susan" hospital gown!!

She had a second and final surgery for her breast cancer and sported the "Elizabeth" hospital gown.

Here is what Anne said about wearing her Annie & Isabel hospital gowns:

"I want to sincerely thank you again for your gorgeous gowns. I have to tell you, when I was pregnant with my third son, I was hoping to get one after seeing the beautiful photos that Brenda Bisharat took of glowing mommies. I got my wish and then some. I was gifted two gowns at my baby shower. I felt so special as everyone at the shower admired their beauty. I wore the Anita at the birth of my third son Markos. I can't tell you how much it meant to me to feel so pretty in my designer gown because days later I knew I would be facing my greatest challenge."

"I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 30 years old, 8 months pregnant, with my son. My doctor induced me at 36 weeks pregnant and four days later I was back in the hospital getting a mastectomy. After my diagnosis, my sister Audrey gave me the Susan gown and I also got the Elizabeth (breast cancer gown) from some dear friends. I wore the Susan gown for my mastectomy because I wanted to feel sassy and put up a good fight! It put a smile on my doctors face and after seeing it he got me a stuffed dog with similar print to carry so I would remember to not lift or use that arm. After that surgery, I found out that the cancer did not spread and I can happily call myself a survivor!"

"Last but not least, I wore the Elizabeth gown in February for my last surgery. I had so many compliments from nurses and doctors. My doctors first response was how nice the gown was but then he was even more impressed when he realized how easy it was to access my bandages. It was so comfortable and I felt "safe" to walk the halls knowing I wasn't going to give anyone a peep show."

In addition to taking care of herself, being a wife and loving on her three boys, Anne started a wonderful blog called "Livin the Green" and, in her words, this blog is about "cleaning out the old self to become a healthier, wiser, greener, and more organic person." If you want to follow along in this journey and change your old ways too then you should follow along!!

Testimonials Are Coming In...Read Chasity's Story

We recently received this testimonial from Chasity. She received her Isabel gown as a gift from her sister Natalie, who I work with in the ICU. We have received so much support from co-workers because we, as nurses, see what gets on those icky hospital gowns (you seriously do NOT want to know)! Now that there is an alternative... we are all looking for someone...(anyone!!)... to prevent from wearing the standard gown. Besides the "gross-factor" of the hundreds of people who have worn the standard gown before you, our gowns have all the features patients often wish they had... like your backside covered and a pocket. For Chasity, receiving her Annie & Isabel gown was such a wonderful addition to such a special day... it really makes a difference during the ups and downs of labor. Thanks Natalie for your support... and thanks Chasity for your glowing testimonial! Getting testimonials like this makes all our hard work worth every second. Congratulations on your beautiful son and family! Your girls are so precious and I am sure they will take good care of their new little brother. To read what Chasity has to say ~ click HERE.

Here is a sneak peak at her beautiful family.