Truth be told, I've never owned a DockATot.  I know, I know, what kind of mother am I?!  My kids are 18, 12, & 3, and boy do I wish I had had one.  

​First impressions are everything, right?  You can tell a lot about a company simply by the way they package their products and Dock A Tot clearly takes a lot of pride in theirs.  I decided to go with the DockATot Deluxe+ in white because most of the children I photograph are in the newborn - 6 months age range. 

​You're  probably thinking, "White?  Boring!", but hey, it goes with EVERYTHING.  Lucky for you, they have a ton of different fabric patterns to choose from and if you are as ever changing as I am, they have covers so you can interchange them depending on your style and mood that day!

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After spending the day photographing and observing darling little Demi, in the DockATot and the ways her mother chose to utilize it, it is an essential for having somewhere to set baby all around the house while tending to your momm'in duties, but I also realized it would be so awesome for so many other reasons, like flying!  Worried about taking your babe on a plane?  Where will baby sleep?  Where will baby play?  Am I going to have to hold and soothe my baby on a 5 hour flight?  Most certainly not!  Your DockATot will save the day!  Not only can your baby sleep in it during your flight, but baby can also play!  DockATot has an add on feature for toy arch sets that you can purchase in addition to your DockATot.
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Although I cannot personally attest to this next statement, I will say that I research products thoroughly before I get behind them, and I have interviewed 10 people that have owned a DockATot that they have used on a daily basis and I have combed through the reviews on their website, and every single person I have talked to, and the general consensus on their website, is that babies are sleeping noticeably longer in their DockATot's than they would without, so sleep deprived mama's, take note!

My only regret is not getting the Grand right off the bat.  Go big or go home, right?  I love the Deluxe+ , don't get me wrong, but it is also recommended for babies 0-8 months old (the baby I photographed above is 5 months old), so it depends on what you are using it for and how long you plan on using yours.  Even though the Grand is recommended for babies and children 9-36 months, I would probably go with it from the get-go.

​{A little flatlay fun}

I would highly recommend this product to new and expecting mother's.  On a grading system of 1-5 stars, 5 being the greatest, I would give this product a 5 because of it's versatility, functionality, and comfort. 

​Add the Dock to your Babylist registry!

Hi!  I'm Liv.  I own Liv & Co.   I design and manufacture children's clothing and accessories and am a part time photographer and blogger on the side.  I love to make, write, review ALL things baby!  Feel free to visit my shop for the most unique, handmade baby and toddler apparel you can find HERE.

Mommy is everything, so it's no surprise she's your little one's favorite Valentine.  Grab yours HERE.

Everyone knows the next best thing to mom is dad...  Kidding, dad's, I'm kidding!  We're all equal (haha!).  Get Daddy is my Valentine HERE.

A funnier, gender neutral approach to spice up your little one's Valentine's Day - Love Stinks.  Get yours HERE.

Be Mine...  The shirt says it all.  Grab yours HERE.

Bring the humor this Valentine's Day.  For your love little mister... Mr. Right, that is.  Grab yours HERE.

A more gender neutral approach to Daddy is my Valentine.  Grab yours HERE.

Another "Love Stinks"!  Why?  Because we can't resist the funny.  Get yours HERE.

Well, that's a wrap!  Tell us your favorite(s) in the comments below!

Another successful year for Liv & Co. is in the books.  I cannot begin to explain how gracious I am, as well as my family, for your loyalty and support throughout the past 5+ years.  There is nothing better than being able to stay home with my kids to design and manufacture clothing and accessories for your kiddo's!

Year in review:

2017 has been good to us.  We opened up on Amazon.com and Zazzle.com , which are very new and exciting endeavors for us,  added several new items to our Etsy shop and to our website store, added a new group board to our Pinterest account, finally started an email list to stay connected to you all easily, added tie dyed shirts to our shop, added a serger to our equipment to bring you our amazing baby and toddler blankets, and so much more.

​On a personal note, our oldest son turned 18, our daughter turned 12, and our youngest son turned 3. (My step children; Doug's boys, turned 16 & 12).

Our oldest, Hunter, is pursuing his passion for cycling as a successful bicycle mechanic at a prestigious bike shop where he manages the repair department, builds high end bicycles and participates in local 30-60 mile group rides. 

Our daughter, Hayden, continues to be a sweet, loving, child of God and A & B student in school.  She will play Volleyball in the spring.

Our youngest son continues to amaze me everyday with his sweetness and his growing vocabulary.  Some of my most favorite sayings of his from this past year are, "You can lay down me you want!" (You can lay down on me if you want...) and "I love you so much, doll best friend doll." (Because I often call him doll and best friend, so he combined them together.  So cute!).  

​Doug's boys (my step-kids) are busy in sports.  The youngest is a little Football star in his hometown and the oldest enjoys Football and Basketball and will be getting his license soon.

​On a sad note - we lost an important member of our family, my grandfather, Ronald E. Dunegan.  He survived an extremely abusive childhood at the hands of his stepfather to go on to serve his country, raise 2 daughter's (1 being my mother), enjoy 4 grandchildren, and 10 great - grandchildren.  Not a day goes by that tears don't come to my eyes thinking about him.  He was a rock for the girl's in our family and he will be missed beyond comprehension.  He left behind the following card:

I mean, if his choice of card doesn't show the incredible heart he had for his country, I don't know what does.

It reads:

"I have taken a lot from life.  More than I have given.  The best thing has been family.  I love you one and all, Ron (dad) (Pa)
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​A little prayer I have said for over 20 years:  God bless and keep my family and all sick people.  God bless you, Judy (our grandmother, his late wife).  God bless and keep the troops, first responders, the mistreated kids, and me.

​P.S. I love you all."

​I can tell you without a doubt that he definitely gave way more than he took from this life.

We released red, white, and blue balloons after his service...

and find comfort knowing that he was reunited with our Gram.

We were blessed to be able to visit where my heart calls home, Panama City Beach... (but really, anywhere the sun is shining, and there's salt in the air, my heart calls home.

We made memories...

Thanks to Doug's trucking business taking him all over the country, we visited Colorado as well...

We took too many pictures...

P.S. I love you, Waffle House (haha)

Gave too many hugs... (there's no such thing)

We got lots of Co-cones, as Hawkins calls them. (snow cones)

Connected with friends when we could...

and we went on adventures... (below, the Brussels Ferry)

 ​As the years pass by and our children get older, it is getting harder and harder to ignore my personal dreams and goals, and the desire to pursue them is growing into more of a feeling of necessity.

​I have a personal goal to give my children a truly all-American experience with life.  I'm determined to show them that the domesticated 9-5 isn't all the bliss it's cracked up to be, and that you don't have to plant roots in life, if you'd rather, you can spread your wings and fly instead. 

I want to teach them not to be afraid to roam and enjoy this beautiful country.  I want to teach them not to settle and that the minute you stop adventuring is the moment you stop truly living.  It's the moment you start existing.

​It has been a dream of mine for about 15 years to purchase a school bus and renovate it into cozy living quarters to travel the country.  My business being online would allow us to do this, so long as everything with our bus is paid off.  I'm determined to make 2018 the year of the bus, one way or another!  I'm determined to break these shackles that have kept me in the Midwest and get to where my heart feels like we belong...​

So what's next for Liv & Co, you ask?  A lot.  We have a lot in store for 2018. 

​For starters, I intend to make it a priority to get more personal with you all here on my blog.  Let's bond! (haha... but seriously)

​We are launching an exclusive t shirt line called Clothing For A Cause and 50% of the profits will go to St. Jude Children's Research.

​We will be launching our NICU graduate program that will give a free baby bodysuit to little NICU graduates that finally get to go home.  This project will launch in particular hospitals in the Midwest region.

​We hope to have most of our products listed on Amazon in 2018, as well as on Zazzle.  It is a slow process since there are only 2 of us running the show, but we hope to have both of these sites up with several products by March at the latest.

​Our goal with Amazon is to ship our products to their fulfillment facilities so they may fulfill our orders as they come in and allow us more time as a family and to travel.

​Lastly, we hope to expand our wholesale market and get more of our products out in brick and mortar boutique's throughout the United States. (If you're interested, contact us HERE)

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Tell us what goals you have with your NEW YEAR below!

With Love,
​Liv

​P.S. We just released our new Valentine's Day collection!  Click HERE to view!