A Personal Note from Shannon

October 12th, 2011

Shannon Giorgio

It has come time to say farewell… 

Life for the past 5 years has been crazy, hectic, peaceful, joyful, wonderful, sad, filled with hope and new beginnings. Did I mention insane? That’s a good one to have in there too. But I think anyone with two young children and starting a business from scratch might use the same adjectives.

I have had quite a few major life changes in 5 years. I returned to school to receive a second bachelor’s degree in nursing, had cancer, got divorced, moved with my two boys into an apartment, got engaged, bought a house and oh yes, started a business. For those close to me I am often met with a head turn and a “You’re doing what? How is that possible?”

I have been blessed with an incredible gift called plowing through. Sometimes when you are too busy doing life, you forget to think about how your doing it.

There comes a time when you have to take a step back, reflect on life going forward and figure out how you will get to your next destination. That time for me is now.

Bellani (my baby) is strong, steadfast and will be well taken care of. As parents, we need to learn when to let go, when to close our eyes, jump and hope that what you created was well tended to in the former years will thrive.

Thank you to all the Bellani customers, I will miss our conversations which were occasionally creative, philosophical and stimulating; sometimes rambling and always entertaining.

To our employees past and present, thank you for the fun and the friendship and for making my job easier, through knowing that you were serving our customers in a professional manner.

And to Kelly my business partner,  I am proud of what we accomplished and look forward to watching as you continue Bellani’s success.

See you on facebook, twitter, and linked in.

All the Best!

Shannon Giorgio

Safe, warm and restrained in a car seat

October 3rd, 2011

Running errands with kids can be inconvenient when you have to take jackets on and off constantly. Wrapeaze is an innovative product that ensures that both mom and baby will be comfortable. Its unique design is stylish, warm and practical.As a car seat technician and a member of the group of people who believe that a winter coat is unsafe in a child restraint, the wrapeaze solves many problems for us! Wrapeaze is made of 100% polyester lightweight fleece. The wrapeaze has a simple velcro closure and a loose fitting poncho style.

Sizes

Infant: 12″ (0- 24 months)

Toddler: 20″ (2-6 yrs)

The original Wrapeaze is a hooded wrap that envelops the child in warmth quickly and easily-with one hand. No more wrestling with little arms and sleeves while you stand in a cold parking lot. Your child will love that their movement is unrestricted, and you can avoid tantrums and tears. There is no better way to fuse utility with style!

Emergency Room, Trip 6?

September 20th, 2011

Yesterday I was having a lovely day, chatting, ordering, preparing for our annual trip the ABC Kids Expo when my littlest was climbing up my back and fell. She split her chin on the counter. I quickly swept her into my arms, applied pressure to the wound, threw on a frozen vegetable to help with the pain and headed over to the Kent County Emergency Room.

Somehow, this is my sixth trip to the ER. My son has been stitched (lawn chair accident), My daughter has been stapled (fell in a garage onto the foundation), the littlest had her finger stitched together after a chair she was sitting in fell and squished her digit and a random asthma trip or 2. There a few things I realized while sitting there. Firstly, ERs aren’t child friendly. Thank goodness for mom’s pocketbook of tricks. Stamps from yoga class and a toy car were lifesavers, the lollipop in the bottom helped, too. Observation 2, what did we do before the iphone? We used ours as a mirror so she could see her cool new sutures. I also used it to text my husband (and grandmas!) updates. Observation 3, everything gets easier. I was as calm and cool as a cucumber. I remember being so upset to bring a child to the ER the first time, this time it was like airport security. Within 1.25 hours we were on our merry way and went about our day. Just like with all things parenting, it gets easier, and we all get stronger.