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!!

New Mother Fighting Hard After Heartbreaking Diagnosis

Two weeks ago we shared with you the story of Emily, whose mother passed away before she received her Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns. Emily chose to donate the gowns to other well deserving women who were going through some life challenges. The first gown was donated to Jaime, who is battling cervical cancer.  You can read about Emily and Jaime here : "Passing Along The Love".

Yesterday we learned of a beautiful new mother who was diagnosed with brain cancer just two days after giving birth to her baby boy. Tammy was 5 months pregnant when doctors discovered she had a small tumor in her brain. They planned on waiting until after her baby was born to surgically remove the tumor, however, a few months later, Tammy started having more severe headaches. Another MRI was performed which showed that her tumor had grown by over 50% from the previous MRI. It was determined that Tammy needed to have surgery sooner rather than later. Tammy delivered a healthy baby boy on March 20th via c-section and two days later went in for surgery to remove her brain tumor. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to completely remove her tumor and the pathology came back that the tumor was an aggressive form of cancer called atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor. She was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer due to the fact that it had already spread within the brain and to her spine.

Tammy after surgery to remove part of her brain tumor

Tammy has been in the hospital since the birth of her baby, receiving chemotherapy and radiation. She has been unable to walk during this time but she has maintained a positive attitude and a will to fight as you can see from the beautiful smile in all these pictures.

Tammy showing off her sweet baby after a radiation treatment

Tammy is twenty-eight years old and needs as many thoughts and prayers sent her way to help her continue to fight through her treatments and kick cancer!

Tammy with her husband and newborn baby boy

When we heard about Tammy, we knew she would be the perfect person to receive the second hospital gown that Emily donated. Due to Emily's generosity, we will be able to help brighten Tammy's hospital stays a little more with our "Anita" hospital gown. Tammy picked out the Anita hospital gown herself and we think it is just perfect for her.  

The card that comes with our Anita gown says "May home always be your comfort". Our wish for Tammy is that she may become cancer free and soon enjoy the comforts of her own home!

Tammy, we are sending thoughts and prayers your way. Hold on tight to your sweet baby boy, your loving husband and family, and fight hard. Hopefully you can find strength from the many people that are already sending prayers your way.  

Feel Better Campaign Recipient Needs Prayers ~ Delivering Baby Boy With Heart Defect Tomorrow

We are so happy to welcome the Marpepp family into our Feel Better Campaign. We learned about this family through a Facebook page we follow called, Enjoying the Small Things - Kelle Hampton. The mother, Jessica Marpepp, wrote the following message on Kelle's Facebook wall:

"Dear Kelle,

I hope you don't mind but I'm going to pour my heart out to you a little bit. From the first day I read your blog, I felt a kind of hope, and peace, and strength. I think, on some level, God brought me to you to prepare myself. I have a typical (and wonderful) little boy who is 2.5 and I am due on February 25th with another little boy who has been diagnosed with two heart defects. From the first weeks of pregnancy, I felt that something was wrong. I bled, he had a scarily thickenened nuchal translucency, it was one thing after another. The doctors kept telling me to prepare for a miscarriage but the universe had other plans, and my little boy and I held on to each other. When they started doing all the tests, I was nervous, but because your blog had introduced so much love and acceptance for all children, I just wanted my child to survive. After the heart tests, the doctors brought me into a conference room - let me tell you - you never want to be invited into a conference room. Once there, they pulled out a diagram of his heart and pointed to the chamber that just couldn't make it work right. Phrases like "long road" were thrown around. I nodded and took notes and held my breath. Then I got home and wept and grieved in the ways I needed to grieve. And then I read your blog and felt hope and love again. I realized that I was ready to walk that long road and that, in fact, I was filled with joy that this child was coming into my life."

Jessica is going to give birth to her second son tomorrow via c-section and her baby boy will have some significant heart defects that will eventually require surgery. It is a very exciting time for them as they will be adding a new little one to the family, yet, it is also very scary because they will not know what to expect until he is born. We would LOVE your help in surrounding her family with love, good thoughts, and prayer.We are hoping this new little baby boy will be able to overcome any obstacles and enjoy a sweet life with his big brother and family.

Mother, Jessica, and Big Brother:-)

So, once again, we are asking for you help in spreading her story by hitting "LIKE" on our Facebook post and by sharing this post to get this to go viral and get a huge number of people behind this family!! We need you to start firing up the prayers tonight to hopefully bring a stable little baby into the world tomorrow. You have done it before so LET'S DO IT AGAIN!!! Please also leave messages of support underneath the Facebook post.  

Jessica picked out the "Isabel" designer hospital gown to wear as she welcomes her little boy into the world and we love why she chose this gown. 

The card we send with all our "Isabel" gowns says, "We Wish You the Grace and Strength of Our Grandmother". Jessica wrote to us saying, 

"My Grandmother was an amazing woman and I felt like maybe this gown would lend me a bit of YOUR grandmother's grace and strength on top of my Grandmother's memory.How could I go wrong with that?" 

We completely agree, Jessica. You have already shown great strength throughout this pregnancy and we know our grandmother and your grandmother will provide even more strength as you embark on this new journey. Hugs!!

Super Model, Shea Anne, Wears Annie & Isabel Hospital Gowns For The Birth of Her Second Child

norellecosmetics.com

In March, 2011, we were introduced to Shea Anne, a beautiful model who was expecting her second son in May of 2011. Shea is affilitated with the online magazine, Mom's Advice Magazine. Two online issues of Mom's Advice Magazine have published so far and it is a really wonderful, packed with loads of information for moms and moms-to-be! We were asked to become a sponsor of this magazine and, because we loved the exciting things they had planned, we jumped right in.


She is absolutely gorgeous and is an incredibly sweet person.  She wore two of our Annie & Isabel hospital gowns for the birth of her baby this past May. She chose the "Elizabeth" and the "Isabel" designer hospital gowns and looked beautiful in both. Here is a little video from right after her baby boy was born in her "Elizabeth" hospital gown.  There is nothing more beautiful than the sound of a baby's first cries after birth and we feel honored that she is sharing such a special moment with all of us.

We thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A with Shea!

A&I: How long have you been modeling and working in photography?

Shea: "I've been modeling since I was 16 and have been doing photography for about 2 years now".

A&I: What are some of your most memorable modeling jobs that you have done?

Shea: "Working with brands such as the J Lo campaign, Speedo, Daks, cover of Pregnancy & Newborn, and Fit Pregnancy".

http://www.pnmag.com/

A&I: Are you planning on focusing more on photography and Mom's Advice Magazine now, or will you continue to model, or both?

Shea: "I am focusing on the magazine! I still model, but only for clients that I've been working with for years as it is not my main focus anymore. I'm trying to encourage and help other moms through the magazine".

A&I: What did you like most about your Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns?

Shea: I loved that the back of the gown was not open, so I could actually walk around!! They are also great looking. I love the fact that I looked different than anyone else in the hospital because having a child is supposed to be a special time so you want to look special as well".

Below is the latest online issue of Mom's Advice Magazine. Be sure to check out pages 47 for Shea's story on wearing her Annie & Isabel hospital gowns and page 52 to see our ad. Thank you Shea for including Annie & Isabel in your fall issue and for supporting mom owned businesses! Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy!

Dad-2-Be Joe Goes Shopping For The Perfect Annie & Isabel Hospital Gown

It is always fun when a husband purchases an Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown for his wife.  When we first met Joe, we were displaying our hospital gowns at Sacramento Magazine's,  the "Best of Sacramento" event. We were thrilled to be chosen by this popular local magazine as the "The Best Gift for the Expectant Mom".

Joe's wife, Becky, is the Marketing Director for Sacramento Magazine and was one of the main coordinators of the "Best of Sacramento Magazine" event.  She also happened to be pregnant!  She made sure to bring her husband by our booth and subtly let him know which Annie & Isabel hospital gown was her favorite. 

A few weeks later, we were in contact with Joe as he wanted to surprise his wife with an Annie & Isabel hospital gown for Christmas.  He came over to our office and what a joy it was to meet him.  This was their first child and you could see the excitement in his eyes and the love he has for his wife...which was so sweet to see!

We received lovely testimonials from both Joe & Becki and they were also fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of the partnership we have with Brenda Bisharat Photography who took some amazing pictures of their new family in the hospital.

Here is what Joe had to say about his experience purchasing an Annie & Isabel hospital gown:

"After seeing the Annie and Isabel gowns at Best of Sacramento, my wife had implied as to which one she would like if we were to get one for our daughter's delivery.  (We were 4 months pregnant at the time) I purchased the gown as one of my wife's Christmas presents.  Upon opening it Christmas morning, my wife said "look baby girl, now I'm ready for delivery."


I worked with Anna and Selena from the company and they helped me to pick the right size and confirmed that I had ordered the right print.


Enclosed was an offer for Brenda Bisharat Photography to come to the hospital and do a free photo shoot with our newborn.  She was so amazing and was able to capture many amazing photos.  We wound up buying quite a few pictures from her because we liked so many but it was definitely difficult to narrow our selection down!"

Here is what Becky shared about her experience with her "Evelyn" Annie & Isabel hospital gown:

"We found out we were expecting about the same time I first learned about Annie and Isabel gowns.  A few months later, I saw them in person and my husband and I loved them.  I quickly decided which one I wanted to wear when I delivered our daughter.

One of the gifts I opened on Christmas morning was the Annie & Isabel gown.  I was so excited that I tried it on right away and "modeled" it for my husband.  As we neared out due date, it was one of the first things I packed to bring to the hospital.

When I went into active labor, I decided I'd save the gown for after the delivery.  It was so nice to shower and put on my beautiful gown that smelled fresh out of the dryer and hold our daughter, Cleo.  It was so soft and comfortable, as well.  I recommend your gowns to everyone!"

"My husband called Brenda Bisharat Photography to arrange for her to come to the hospital and take pictures.  I am so glad we took advantage of this wonderful opportunity.  We wouldn't have these first photos as a family and Brenda captured moments that would otherwise just be a memory.  The complimetary 5x7 is beautiful and there were so many great images, we ordered several more.  We even used these for the birth announcement (which I'll hopefully have mailed out before Cleo is in Kindergarten).

Thanks again!!"

~Becki, Sacramento, CA

Chris Welcomes Daughter in Her Annie & Isabel Designer Hospital Gown

 

This is Chris who recently welcomed her second daughter Olivia. Thank you Chris for sharing all these wonderful pictures of your delivery day wearing the Annie gown! You look gorgeous and we are so happy you enjoyed celebrating another baby girl with our pink designer hospital gown!

Here is what Chris had to say about her experience wearing an Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown,

"My girlfriend was my labor and delivery nurse and when she first came into the room she immediately commented on how cute my "Annie" gown was and then made me promise that when she has a baby... I'll get her one!! The delivery of my second child was filled with excitement and challenges. My delivery was less than 2 hours, but my recovery was over 10. Due to the circumstances, I was unable to shower until after 9pm. Throughout that time, I was happily wearing my Annie & Isabel gown. While I hated not being able to clean up, I loved that I was in something that was mine. I was able to be comfortable moving between rooms, between care takers, and unexpected visitors because I had full coverage! I loved that I could breastfeed without problems and that I had a bit of fashion while waiting to clean up! I hope I don't have to use my hospital gown for medical purposes in the future, but I'm appreciative to know that if I was ever to be admitted to the hospital, I'd have my own comfortable, back covering, super cute gown to bring with me. Thank you so much for designing such a wonderful product." 

 

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.

Another Proud Mama in Her Annie and Isabel Designer Hospital Gown

Another new proud mama in her Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown.  This is Mary and she is wearing the "Isabel" hospital gown. She is a first time mommy and loving life with her sweet little girl.  Here is what she had to say about her Annie & Isabel hospital gown:

"Just wanted to say how much I loved my Annie and Isabel gown.  It was great to have something new and clean (that I knew was clean) to put on after she was born.  I really appreciated the full coverage and snap up sleeves as I was on IV medication for the first day and had to get up frequently.  I got so many compliments from the nurses and family.  Thanks."

~Mary

We have some great news about our Isabel designer hospital gowns!  A while back we announced that the Isabel fabric had been discontinued....at least that is what we were told by our fabric distributor.  We just ordered more fabric to make more hospital gowns and guess what?... The Isabel fabric is still being produced! We are so happy about this, because The Isabel gown is one of our best sellers.. and our personal favorites too!

A Husband's Gift of an Annie & Isabel Designer Hospital Gown

There is nothing more sweet than when a husband buys his wife an Annie & Isabel hospital gown for the upcoming birth of their child. It is one of the best "push presents" he can give because it provides his lovely wife the gift of comfort, style and beauty during a time when she might not exactly feel that way!  We hear time and time again from new mothers that our gowns made them feel so beautiful and we LOVE that!! Thanks to all of the hubbies out there who support Annie & Isabel and in turn support their wives. 

This proud husband, Dino, purchased the "Annie" designer hospital gown for his wife, Katie, and here is what Katie had to say about her experience:

"I wanted to thank you so much for creating such great gowns.  I wore the Annie Gown during my birth to my beautiful daughter Sophia.  Whan an awesome gown!  It was so nice after a long labor to take a shower and put on this comfortable gown that made me feel beautiful.  I love how easy it was to breastfeed my daughter and how easy it was to cover up too when people came to visit.  After being in the same maternity wear for so many months it was great to put on my own personal gowns.  I can't tell you all the compliments I got from nurses and staff about how awesome they thought this gown was.  I can't wait until I can wear it again or maybe I will try one of the other beautiful patterns for the next delivery."

Congratulations Dino & Katie...Sophia is so sweet!

New Mom Delivers In Style In the "Isabel" Hospital Gown

We received another very nice testimonial from new mom, Jackie. Jackie delivered in style with our "Isabel" hospital gown. She delivered a beautiful baby boy who decided to make his grand entrance a little early. He had to spend time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit but he is home and doing great now. I just love this picture because you can see how proud and happy this new mommy is!!!

Here is what Jackie had to say about having her very own Annie & Isabel hospital gown:

"I absolutely loved my gown! It made me feel stylish and completely covered at the hospital compared to the normal hospital gowns. Plus I received so many compliments from all of the nurses on how cute it was!"

Jackie is also a photographer so she has been busy taking lots of pictures of her new bundle of joy. If you want to see some precious pictures of her baby boy that are sure to make your heart melt then click here: JACQUELINE PHOTOGRAPHY

Congrats Jackie and enjoy the journey of parenthood!!

Inspirational Mom Delivers Her Third Child & Deals With A New Diagnosis Of Multiple Sclerosis

This testimonial is such an inspirational one. Megan wore

our Annie designer hospital gown for the recent birth of her third child.

We love to connect with people who wear our hospital gowns

because we find their stories to be so inspirational. In purchasing

a gown for her upcoming birth, we learned that Megan also lives

with Multiple Sclerosis. She shares her beautiful

family and life with MS on her blog

"It's Megan Not Megan ~ A Wife and Mom With A Weird Name."

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. It can be difficult to diagnose, especially because it presents itself around the age of 20-40 years of age in most people. Megan's journey with MS began in the fall of 2004 and wasn't diagnosed until the summer of 2009. To read more about Megan's story and battle to diagnosis click HERE.

Here is what Megan had to say about wearing her "Annie"

Annie & Isabel Hospital Gown,

"Getting pregnant with our 3rd child came on the heels of a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. When I heard of the Annie & Isabel gowns I knew I needed one. After a long hard delivery, it was so nice to recover in something clean, beautiful, and way cute! I received so many compliments on my Annie gown. After the year I had with my diagnosis, I felt everything came full circle the day our second daughter was born. It's nice to look back on that day and see myself in the cutest gown EVER! Thanks girls for making my memories extra cute and extra special".

Exciting Partnership With Brenda Bisharat Photography!!!

If you have been following along with us for a while now, you know how much we admire Bisharat Photography here in Sacramento. On her site www.bisharatphotos.com, Brenda says, "I have a passion for capturing the human spirit through photography and digital artistry, in a stress free and fun environment". This couldn't be a more accurate statement to describe the work of Brenda and her partner Kristene from Bisharat Photography.

Brenda Bisharat

Kristene Colombi

Brenda has been our photographer for years now and we cherish the beautiful moments in time she has documented of our precious boys. We always sit back in amazement during our sessions while she interacts with our very active boys and gets the best smiles. When we were launching Annie & Isabel, she was a huge support to us as a successful mompreuner herself.

We have VERY exciting news for local Annie & Isabel customers from Bisharat Photography! Brenda is offering a complimentary hospital newborn session for women who purchase an Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown. With this complimentary session, you will receive a free 5x7 and an online slideshow to choose additional photos. The slideshow is a wonderful way to introduce your new bundle of joy to your family and friends. Read below for all of the details and instructions. This might just get some of our friends to move to Sacramento, as they have been admiring Brenda's work for years! Even if you don't live in the Sacramento area, Brenda has many clients who travel long distances to have their children and familes photographed.

Here is an example of Brenda's hospital newborn sessions

MEETING NEW LITTLE SISTER...{SACRAMENTO NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER}

To get to know Brenda Bisharat better and see some of her work,

please read some posts from her blog below~

DANIEL...{SACRAMENTO BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHER}

TWO BIRTHS IN ONE DAY... {SACRAMENTO BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHER}

TIME FOR TUTUS... {SACRAMENTO CHILDREN'S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER}

QUIET MINUS POSTS...{BUSY SACRAMENTO NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER}

DOCUMENTING BIRTHS...{SACRAMENTO BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHER}

Annie & Isabel Designer Hospital Gown Giveaway with MckMama

MCKMAMA AND HER NEWEST BLESSING, BABY LACHLAN

I have always loved reading blogs, long before my sister and I started our business selling designer hospital gowns. We have found some inspirational people and amazing stories from people who have allowed us to "read in" on their lives through their blogs. One day I came across a blog written by a mother, Jennifer McKinney, known by readers as MckMama. Her unborn baby and fourth child, Stellan, had a heart condition called supraventricular tachycardia, or SVT. SVT was causing Stellan's heart to beat at an accelerated and dangerous rate. This interested us because of our medical background and because we are mothers ourselves. We prayed as we followed along through the ups and downs of his fight for life. You can read more about Stellan's amazing story here.

MckMama is well known for blogging about her daily life raising her "Many Small Children", as she calls them. She is a talented photographer, and her blog is full of her creative and colorful work documenting her children's lives. As our company was making its' debut, MckMama's sister, Hilary, was getting ready to welcome her first child. We asked Hilary if she wanted to try out our first sample designer hospital gown and so she became the very first person to wear one of our gowns. She was so gracious and had nothing but wonderful things to say about her experience in our "Annie Gown" which you can read about on MckMama's blog here and find those compliments on our testimonial page. We were so excited to hear this feedback from Hilary......for the first time, our dream was beginning to be a reality.

HILARY IN OUR ANNIE GOWN ABOUT TO WELCOME HER FIRST DAUGHTER

Fast forward a few months and MckMama had exciting news of her own....she was expecting her fifth child! In the short time between Hilary's delivery and MckMama approaching due date, Annie & Isabel was in full swing. Nearing the end of MckMama's recent pregnancy she required several hospitalizations and was able to use both our "Anita" and "Evelyn" hospital gowns. We are glad that our hospital gowns were able to provide her with some comfort and dignity during these stays.

BABY LACHLAN SNUGGLED IN HIS MAMA'S BELLY JUST MOMENTS BEFORE HIS ARRIVAL!

With much anticipation, on August 2, 2010, MckMama donned her "Evelyn" Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown as she prepared to go in for her c-section. She and her family welcomed a new little miracle to the family, baby Lachlan.

This is what MckMama had to say about her experience wearing her Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns:

"I was hospitalized a few times before actually giving birth to our fifth baby. Each time, I asked my husband to bring me one of my Annie & Isabel gowns to wear. I got compliments from my nurses constantly. Thank you, Annie & Isabel, for allowing me to feel pretty... even in the hospital! My favorite gown is the Evelyn, and I wore that one when I gave birth to our sweet son, Lachlan. Besides how gorgeous the high quality gowns are, I loved the ribbon ties and the fact that the back wraps around to the side, tying on the hip. I was wheeled and walked up to the Special Care Nursery to nurse our new baby many, many times those first days. When wearing my Annie & Isabel gown, I felt lovely and completely covered up! The nurses constantly said they wished that all the gowns on the Labor and Delivery floor were so great. Thank you for beautifying my birthing experience with your gowns!!"

MCKMAMA'S "MANY SMALL CHILDREN" ENJOYING THEIR SWEET BABY BROTHER

As we congratulate the MckMama family, Jennifer was gracious enough to host a giveaway for us to help spread the word about our company Annie & Isabel. Watch her Facebook and Twitter pages for more details about the giveaway tomorrow, Wednesday, August 25th. You can "like" MckMama on Facebook here and follow her on Twitter here. Good luck!

Proud Mama Teeny Meets Her Beautiful Son!

We are LOVING all the wonderful testimonials we are getting in! This one is from a wonderful person Christine, AKA "Teeny", who ordered The Isabel Gown for her recent birth. We are so happy Teeny loved her Isabel gown and here is what she had to say about her experience. Thank you SO much Teeny... We are really happy you had a wonderful experience and a beautiful healthy boy! We just love this picture of Jameson... and you even got our logo in there! If you have worn one of our Annie & Isabel gowns, we would love to hear your story.

Teeny's Testimonial

So Precious!

My Birth Story in Pictures

Remember what it was like to anticipate the birth of your child? Maybe some of you are doing that right now. Maybe some of you are waiting for your first baby and you are a little scared? For me, I can think of nothing better than those last days before my children were born. They were days that were filled with such excitement and uncertainty. My mind always swirled with so many unanswered questions. When will I go into labor...morning, noon or night? Will my water break in public? Will my baby be o.k.? I wonder how much he weighs..I think a lot!! How long will my labor be? Will I have my little one tomorrow? Oh please, I am so ready!!!

Childbirth is the one thing in life that leaves such a vivid indelible memory in most women's life experiences. I have had four boys and I remember each birth so clearly. You can ask any woman who has given birth to a child or has adopted a child and they can tell you every little detail of their delivery experience or their experience meeting their new child for the first time.

When I had my fourth son I knew that this baby would more than likely be our last child. I had always wanted to have pregnancy pictures done and for some reason I never did it. I think, ultimately, I felt too embarrassed to have someone take pictures of my naked belly. With my last pregnancy, however, I knew it was something I would do. I didn't want to regret never having done it and I wanted to remember what I looked like with a pregnant belly. Luckily I had met a wonderful photographer, Brenda Bisharat, before I became pregnant with my fourth boy. Sometime in my last trimester I had the pregnancy pictures taken and I truly cherish them today. If you have ever thought of having pictures done while you are pregnant I would strongly encourage you to do it. The pictures are not only wonderful to have for yourself but your children will love looking at them when they are older.

After doing pregnancy pictures, I made the decision to also have my birth professionally photographed by the same photographer. This was a big decision because giving birth to a child is a very private experience and one in which I knew I would be completely exposed. What I discovered was, that by having Daniel's birth photographed professionally, I received such a precious irreplaceable and amazing gift! So, while many people like to share their birth story in words, I thought it would be fun to share mine in pictures and maybe you might decide that this treasure is one that you also have to have when you give birth to your child some day. I personally will never regret it!!! Thank you Brenda Bisharat for capturing my birth story so incredibly well and for putting together the wonderful video of my pictures below!!!





P.S. Just think how much cuter those hospital pictures would have been if I was in an Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown. Unfortunately this was before the idea to make our gowns became a reality :-(