Shannon Welcomes Her Third Daughter In The Elizabeth & Annie Designer Hospital Gowns

We have been so excited to post this beautiful testimonial from Shannon which chronicles the arrival of her third daughter. You may recognize the gorgeous work from Bisharat Photography and we feel honored that our Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns were the backdrop to such a special day! Brenda Bisharat is available to photograph your birth if you live in the Sacramento area, something that we both did with our youngest sons - unfortunately before Annie & Isabel came about! She took these photographs of Shannon before, during, and the day after her daughter arrived. Thank you to Brenda and to Shannon for sharing them with us!

Here is what Shannon wrote about her experience wearing her Annie & Isabel designer hospital gowns:

"During my pregnancy, I learned that one of my daughter's classmates mom was one of the designers of Annie & Isabel.  I knew then that I had to don one of these adorable gowns during my hospital stay for baby # 3.

So, it was such a treat when during my maternity photo session, our wonderful photographer, Brenda Bisharat, surprised me with two beautiful Annie & Isabel gowns.  We were expecting our third daughter - so the Annie and Elizabeth were perfect.  The gowns were washed, ironed and packed weeks before my due date - just in case!  There was no way I would wear any old gown."

"While at the hospital in labor, I wore the Elizabeth.  I walked and walked that short hallway in my adorable gown and heads turned every time! Nurses and other patients couldn't help but comment and ask where I got it - or if it was provided by the hospital.  I proudly replied, "No, it is Annie & Isabel - it was a gift."  Big belly and all, I received tons of compliments."

"Even as the team of doctors and nurses came in when the baby was born, they couldn't believe how adorable the gown was, and that I was actually wearing it during labor!  The yellow and fun polka dot pattern made me feel so happy and comfy."

"Once I was moved up to my private room, I changed into the Annie gown.  It was so nice to feel "pretty" just after delivery!  And to be so comfortable, I felt like a princess!"

"Thanks to Brenda Bisharat and Annie & Isabel for helping us moms feel extra special! I only wish I had them for my first two deliveries:-)."

~Shannon, Sacramento, CA

Do you know about our partnership with Brenda Bisharat Photography for local moms-2-be?  

With the purchase of an Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown, Brenda Bisharat will come to the hospital the day after your delivery for a complimentary photo session of you and your new baby! In addition to the session, Brenda includes a free 5x7 and will put up a nice slideshow that you can share with family and friends.  Click the link below for more information. 

Brenda Bisharat Photography Partnership

The Blessings of Caregivers

October is breast cancer awareness month and we thought it would also be nice to bring awareness to caregivers....the very people that directly support their loved ones through a cancer diagnosis.  These are mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, husbands, wives, companions and friends.  We saw this video on the blog of Erika Sudz, who is also battling breast cancer.  This beautiful video by Martina McBride was so touching that we also wanted to share it as it is a a true testament to the caregivers in the lives of those who battle any chronic illness.

If you had a caregiver that helped you through a tough time or you were a caregiver, please share your story by commenting at the end of this post. 

She dropped the phone and burst into tears
The doctor just confirmed her fears
Her husband held it in and held her tight
Cancer don’t discriminate or care if you’re just 38
With three kids who need you in their lives
He said, "I know that you’re afraid and I am, too
But you’ll never be alone, I promise you"

When you’re weak, I’ll be strong
When you let go, I’ll hold on
When you need to cry, I swear that I’ll be there to dry your eyes
When you feel lost and scared to death,
Like you can’t take one more step
Just take my hand, together we can do it
I’m gonna love you through it.

She made it through the surgery fine
They said they caught it just in time
But they had to take more than they planned
Now it's forced smiles and baggy shirts
To hide what the cancer took from her
But she just wants to feel like a woman again
She said, "I don't think I can do this anymore"
He took her in his arms and said "That's what my love is for"

When you’re weak, I’ll be strong
When you let go, I’ll hold on
When you need to cry, I swear that I’ll be there to dry your eyes
When you feel lost and scared to death,
Like you can’t take one more step
Just take my hand, together we can do it
I’m gonna love you through it.

And when this road gets too long
I'll be the rock you lean on
Just take my hand, together we can do it
I’m gonna love you through it.
I’m gonna love you through it. 

Bras and Quilts to Support Breast Cancer

While I was at work on Monday I had to run to get a TB test which nurses working in the Emergency Room are required to do annually.  The test was administered in one of our buildings across the street, the Sutter Cancer Center.  As I ran over there I was struck by a sea of beauty!!  I forgot that, because it is breast cancer awareness month, there would be a huge display of quilts all around the building.  Each quilt is auctioned off and all the proceeds go to support breast cancer research and treatment programs through Sutter Medical Center. It is such an amazing program and a great way to touch the hearts of so many people.  The quilts are left up in the building for the month of October and each quilt is usually made in honor of someone who battled or is battling cancer. 

I thought I would share the news story our local television station, KCRA channel 3, recently aired showing off the beautiful quilts as almost all of us have been touched by cancer in some way.

Bras Created Out of Quilt Patterns

One of the programs supported by this auction is the Navigator Program which we also support through the sales of our Annie & Isabel "Elizabeth" hospital gown.  Mary Pare, who runs the Navigator program, speaks in the video clip above.  You can read how we are giving back here: 

Annie & Isabel Gives Back to Support Breast Cancer Patients

If you are interested in looking at more of the quilts or bidding on them online you can go to the Sutter Medical Center website link below:

The Breast Cancer Quilt Auction

::Wednesday Warrior:: Anne Is "Livin' The Green" After Being Diagnosed With Breast Cancer While She Was 8 Months Pregnant

We thought we would kick off our October "Annie & Isabel Warrior" features with Anne Hamilton who has an inspiring story and is such a great example of living your best life! Anne was 8 months pregnant with her third son when she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. We first learned about Anne's story when several people ordered our hospital gowns for her to wear during her upcoming birth and surgeries. We thought that was such a testament to what a special person she is {and now WE know that to be SO true!}.

Anne is cancer free {woohoo!!} and has started a beautiful blog that follows along in her journey to lead a healthy and clean lifestyle called Livin' The Green. We know that life is busy and there is never enough time, but we highly recommend subscribing to Anne's posts {top right corner of her blog} and you will be happy that you did. It took having breast cancer for Anne to basically change her life overnight... but, even if you make small changes... they all add up, right?!

Anne is now a beauty consultant for 100% Pure. All products are synthetic-, fragrance-, paraben-, and toxin free. We have tried a few of her products and love them! We LOVE the organic coffee bean caffeine eye cream. To learn more about 100% Pure - read HERE.

Here is Anne just moments after her sweet boy was born with so much on her mind for the upcoming weeks. We are so happy to share her inspirational story with all of you! To read her full testimonial about her experience wearing her Annie & Isabel gowns - read HERE.

Anne, you are a true warrior and we are so blessed to have gotten to know you over the last year.

Meet Brianne....Our Latest "Feel Better Campaign" Recipient

"I plan for the future, live for today and cherish every moment I have with those that I love, because you never know what tomorrow will bring" ~ Brianne

This is Brianne.  She is a 20 year old college student who was diagnosed at birth with cystic fibrosis.  We are extremely happy to announce that Brianne is our latest recipient of our "Feel Better Campaign".  You can read more about our "Feel Better Campaign" on our recently updated website here:  FEEL BETTER CAMPAIGN

We are very excited about this campaign because we both have seen how much a nice, beautiful, dignified, designer hospital gown can help in the treatment and healing of a person dealing with a difficult diagnosis.  We have had so many women wear our gowns and express such gratitude for how our hospital gowns made a difference in their hospital stays, radiation treatments and rehabilitations.  We feel truly blessed because while each of these women thank us for designing our hospital gowns, we thank them for teaching us so many life lessons!! 

When we read stories of women dealing with tough diagnoses, we immediately want to give each of these women one of our hospital gowns.  The "Feel Better Campaign" is a small way in which we can give back to some of these women and we encourage you to read about our campaign and give back as well!!  We plan to give at least three gowns per year to a deserving person.  You can help us by nominating someone that you feel would benefit from one of our hospital gowns and may not be able to afford to purchase one themselves.  Our nomination form can be found here: NOMINATIONS

We would like to share more about our latest recipient Brianne.  Brianne recently wrote to us about how much she loved our designer hospital gowns.  She has had to spend plenty of days in the hospital and always dreads wearing the oversized, dingy, standard hospital gowns.  She loved that our hospital gowns were chic and provide dignity by covering the back side completely.  She also loved the fact that our gowns come in many sizes, including extra-small!!  Brianne chose our "Susan" gown and we think she looks fabulous in it.

Brianne is a very family oriented girl and recognized that we shared this value with her when she saw that we named our company and all of our hospital gowns after family members who we loved and were important in our lives.  Brianne is now living at home due to an increase in the number of lung infections she has had and decrease in her lung function. Her immediate and extended family are a huge support to her and to her brother and sister who are also living with cystic fibrosis.

Brianne graduated with honors from high school and completed two years of college away from home before having to move back home due to more medical problems related to her cystic fibrosis.  She is a go getter, however, as she still attends junior college near home, gardens in the backyard when she can with her mom, and enjoys going to jazz concerts with her dad.  She tries to live the most normal life that she can but her normal is very different from that of  the average person. 

Brianne spends four hours a day doing breathing treatments and chest percussion. She also takes 15 pills a day, needs to eat 4,000 calories a day to maintain her weight, and attempts at least 20 minutes of exercise a day to strengthen her lungs. When she is sick, she adds another hour to those treatments and 4-5 more pills a day!!!

With all those pills and treatments, Brianne remains so very positive which is what we love so much about her.  She recently told us the following statement, which really inspired us and made us realize that she is a perfect candidate for our "Feel Better Campaign":

"I have learned over the years that a positive attitude and outlook on life goes a LONG way.  Why waste my time being upset over the things I personally have no control over.  Sure, I have bad days where I really hate Cystic Fibrosis, but most days I am able to smile and find the beauty and good in my life. One thing I've learned about Cystic Fibrosis is that you never know what will happen. So I plan for the future, live for today, and cherish every moment I have with those that I love, because you never know what tomorrow will bring."

After the Loss of Twins Delivered at Six Months, Amy Celebrates The Miracle of a New Baby Girl!!

In February, we were SO excited to see a beautiful new mama had posted the most adorable pictures on our Annie & Isabel facebook page!  Amy looked so chic and stylish in her "Evelyn" Annie & Isabel designer hospital gown as she welcomed sweet baby Lucy Valentine.  We absolutely love when our customers post pictures on our facebook wall as it gives us great pleasure to see women enjoying their stylish hospital gowns!! 

Here is what Amy said about her experience receiving and wearing an Annie & Isabel hospital gown:

"I can't even begin to express my love for my Annie & Isabel gown.  My hubbie and I had just faced delivering little 6 month twins that we lost the previous year where I stayed in the hospital for a month and lived in my normal dreary hospital gown.  So when we were blessed on our 9th cycle of IVF with another little miracle I couldn't have been more excited to receive the most AMAZING gift from a dear friend and fellow Annie & Isabel devoted fan.  It seriously was the biggest HIT at my shower and had the entire room in oooh's and ahh's!  I was so excited to slip it on after my c-section from delivering our little miracle Lucy Valentine!!  It truly made me feel like a million bucks and I loved how bright and cheery it made me feel!  We are already back on our IVF cycles trying for another miracle!!!  Annie & Isabel, you truly made our most amazing experience in life a million times even more exciting! All thanks to you!!  

All my love, Amy xoxo"

Amy....we are keeping our fingers and toes crossed for another miracle in your family! Thanks so much for sharing your story and first pictures with us.    

UPDATE!!! June 2012

Amy and her husband Bill were once again blessed with another little miracle baby girl! She welcomed Lola Love into this world and was able to rock her Evelyn gown again! What a GORGEOUS family!!!

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!