"We bought our home during the summer of 2014, four doors down from the house we rented for 13 years, in a small, up-and-coming neighborhood in West L.A. It’s close to Venice, Mar Vista, Marina Del Rey, and is now full of young families. Most of the houses are still original post-war 'bungalows' (a generous term), as was our house when we bought it. I'm quite sure nothing had been done to it since the original construction in 1948. We spent a year planning for and then remodeling the house, including an addition. Because of budget, we didn’t hire a general contractor and I managed the project myself. It was crazy, so stressful, and a huge leap of faith, but now seems so worth it! There are a hundred things I wish I would or could have done differently now that we live in the space, but that’s for our second remodel!"

"Open, light, modern, simple."

Kristina wears Doen's Jardin dress. Dashiell wears Zara cut-off shorts and Reef sandals. Forrest wears an American Apparel top, Zara pants, and Quiksilver sandals.

"I am a minimalist at heart, which isn’t always easy to achieve with young children. A minimalist who also wants her space to feel warm and inviting and lived in. I would rather wait to find or save for the perfect piece (it took 11 months to order a couch), rather than buy something I don’t love. I have a vision for the TV wall in the living room that is just not part of our budget at the moment, so I built a little desk for the kids to match our existing credenza in the meantime. I’d rather have empty walls than decor that doesn’t fill me with ultimate joy. Okay, ultimate joy is maybe a little extreme, but you know what I mean."

"I love our bed and our rocking chair in the master bedroom. Case and point from the previous answer, I swear I’ve been waiting 8 years for a room big enough to fit proper bedside tables, and somehow we’ve lived here for over a year and we still don’t have them! We don’t have any particularly noteworthy art in the house, in fact most of it was less expensive than the framing. I do have a special fondness for the vintage watercolor in our room. I found it online, it got lost in the mail after I bought it, and somehow miraculously turned up 4 months later. It’s a painting of a Joshua Tree and I love the mixed media and little gestural bits that you don’t notice unless you look up close. I’m probably the only person who knows it’s there, but it makes me happy every time I walk down our hall."

"Oh, to have a proper play room! That would be dreamy. Even though this house is twice as big as our old house, it’s still not that big. I am obsessive about purging kid stuff and keeping things organized and put away, but that doesn’t mean I don’t accept a certain amount of chaos in our family space. I read a quote a few years ago in the IKEA catalog (of all places) by one of their designers that has really stuck with me. It was something to the effect of giving your kids some space in your living room, instead of trying to keep all kids stuff out of the 'adult' space. Your living room will enjoy lots more actual 'living' while you have young children, and there is always time to change that up as the kids grow. I’m not articulating it exactly right, but the sentiment was that the life of your house is your children and letting them live near you while they are young is the whole point. There will be decades of clean, perfectly designed rooms in our future. Right?!"

One of those perfect IKEA kids' staples.

"Ahhh, the one room in the house that is 'finished!' Due to my decorating philosophy that I discussed earlier, it took me almost 10 months to get their space in order. I definitely prefer non-kid decor for kids' rooms when possible. Of course, some of the pieces in their room are specifically for kids, but others aren’t and their toys add plenty of youth to the overall design."

Color everywhere.

"That bunk bed. I love it so! It’s definitely a splurge for a kids' room, but I just couldn’t find anything that I liked more or even a little less than this one. It totally makes the room, if you ask me. And I love the Calder LACMA poster with our old Eames Hang it All for their things. It used to hang in the entry at our old house but I think it’s much happier with them."

Requisite books and baskets.

"The baby is going to have his or her own room, though my goal of having that complete before he or she arrives is looking unrealistic at this point! It’s full or boxes at the moment, along with our crib and a bunch of baby stuff. Luckily he or she will sleep in our room for the first few months. Maybe that room will be done by next October."

"Nope! Our first two boys were 'surprises' as well. It’s so fun at the end, but it’s been so tempting to find out this time!"

"Very uneventful in a good way. But I have never felt this tired or uncomfortable in the last few weeks. I am ready to be not pregnant, but I’m also not quite ready for the baby...so I guess on both of those fronts I should be glad I only have 3 weeks to go!"

"I do love parenting books. I haven’t focused as much on the pregnancy part this time, admittedly. But here are some books I love, some parenting some memoirs, all very applicable: The Whole Brain Child by Dan Siegel, Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne, Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott, Waiting for Birdy by Catherine Newman, and Recipes For A Beautiful Life by Rebecca Barry."

"Both of my first labors/births were natural and unmedicated, as I had hoped for and planned. I’m hoping for the same this time, but I have to say that I am having a little more anxiety about it! Ugh, labor is soooo hard and so unpredictable. But thank you for the reminder about the birth plan. We should probably write something down!"

"Dashiell Donald is 6. His middle name is my uncle’s name, who passed away just before Dash was born. I hope that a little bit of my uncle’s spirit has stayed with my eldest and in our family along with his name. Forrest Henry is 4. Forrest’s middle name was inspired by my husband’s grandfather’s name. His name started with an H, so Brock wanted to carry that on in Forrest’s middle name."

"Motherhood is the most deep and essential experience of my life so far. It’s also insanely frustrating and hard and worrisome. But I can’t imagine who I would be at this point in my life, if not a mother. It’s so much a part of who I am and I learn so much every day about myself, about communication, about perspective, and about my children in this role. The excitement is in the big things, but the joy is in being present with your children for all of the little things, too."

Egg-cellent.

"Being in charge of tiny humans who depend on you for everything, of course!"

"My mom icons are my friends. We all have different takes on being a mother and strengths in our roles as mothers. I learn so much from watching how they handle every day situations, how they express their love to their children, how they hold on to pieces of themselves apart from their children. It’s the real women who are deep in the years of childrearing who will forever inspire me."

"Does anyone have a baby shower for their third baby? Haha! I didn’t, but I’ve made it a point to have a lunch date with each of my closest friends over the last few weeks. We are all busy with work and life and kids and having a few hours to just sit together and talk and connect is truly better than a party."

Kristina wears a Zara sweater.

"Absolutely not."

"I love that it’s a dynamic and exciting city with lots of great restaurants and experiences and places to visit and like-minded but very different people and families. I love the diversity and the mix of cultures, and I love that my kids have that as part of their lives. Growing up in coastal San Diego is a little more of a bubble! I have found so many resources as a parent here that I don’t think I would have in lots of other places and for that I’m super thankful. As for moving, we’ve been on a sliding 5 year plan to move to San Diego...for the last 10 years. Hmmm. I imagine sometime the opportunity will present itself and we’ll jump on it, but for now we’re really happy."

"I do! I have lived here in this same neighborhood for so long! Our parents don’t live here (they’re in San Diego), but my husband’s brother and wife and kids live a few miles away. My sister-in-law is due with her third just a few weeks after me, which is really fun. Twin cousins! We have an amazing nanny who has been with us since my oldest son was a baby. My good friend from high school lives two doors down and our kids go to the same preschool. My brother lives downtown and while we don’t seem him all the time, he’s definitely first on call if we have to leave for the hospital in the middle of the night in a few weeks!"

"If you had asked me the first time around I probably would have had all sorts of good answers. Now it’s like, um, does the grocery store count? I treat myself to my favorite prenatal yoga class every Saturday with Patti Quintero at YogaWorks. I have been known to decline a kid’s birthday invite in order to go to my yoga class! It’s my time to be present with myself and this baby and the big change that is coming for our family. I can’t miss it. And conveniently there’s a Beaming Bar below the yoga studio that makes a very yummy acai bowl (also outstanding chia pudding) with the most delicious cinnamon maca almond butter drizzled on top. So, that has to happen every Saturday, too. Other than that, I treat myself to the occasional Silver Strawberry Milk at Moon Juice in Venice. I carve out an hour a few times a week to swim laps at one of our local pools. Even at 37 weeks exercise will always take priority over relaxation for me. So, my toes are in desperate need of a pedicure, but at least I am feeling sane and less prone to yell at my children after a nice long swim. Going to get that pedicure before I go into labor though. That’s a tradition."

"Venice, for sure. Our favorite date night means getting an early babysitter and riding bikes to Venice for drinks at the Tasting Kitchen, followed by dinner at Gjelina It’s just so easy and delicious. We don’t get out that much, and when we do we like to keep it simple and be in bed at a reasonable time! Shopping is top notch in Venice, too, though admittedly I don’t do a ton of in-person shopping. Lost and Found on Main Street in Santa Monica has the best clothes. I like to pop in to General Store and Tradesmen (for dudes) on the regular just to see what they have. And I can’t wait for my friends Paige and Kelly to open Midland in Culver City in a just a few weeks! On the kids side, I wouldn’t be telling the full truth if I didn’t mention their affinity for our neighborhood pizza place, Pitfire."

"Relaxed California with a little '70s thrown in when I’m feeling fancy. I am so casual. Always have been, always will be. It took a lot of years to figure out that that’s okay!"

"Well, considering I haven’t really transitioned to maternity clothes, I would say not much! Casual is a great vibe for an expanding waistline."

"Dresses, sandals, tanks, a really good pair of jeans, and simple gold jewelry."

"Totally! It’s so fun and refreshing to accentuate a belly vs. hide it. That sweet spot right in the middle of pregnancy when most clothes still fit is the best."

"I love fashion, truly. But when you’re this deep into child rearing it’s so hard to rationalize spending a lot of money or frankly time on clothes. The truth is there are soooo many beautiful small lines out there these days that I can’t keep up! I love Ulla Johnson so much, but I only have a few of her pieces. I love Doen and the line those ladies are creating. I especially appreciate that their clothes are beautiful and interesting and wearable without being overly expensive. The textiles that Ace & Jig makes are amazing. I love Madewell for basics, and they have pretty darn good jeans, too. And small sites like Mille, which curates such a beautiful assortment of pieces, is always appreciated. All of my shopping happens online and I nearly always wait for the sales!"

"I’ve recently decided that I actually do need to start wearing mascara on a regular basis. Does that give you a little peek into my relationship with makeup? I’ve always been super natural, mostly out of laziness, though as the years keep passing I’m realizing it might be best to come up with a basic beautification plan. Don’t get me wrong, I have makeup. I just don’t wear it on an every day basis. One of the joys of working from home! I use One Love Organics cleanser and scrub, often coconut oil for face lotion, though I also like One Love Organics serum and Josie Maran argan oil. I love Weleda skin food for hand cream (also the Wild Rose deodorant). A sheer-ish lip gloss. And for actual makeup I have always been loyal to Laura Mercier. I feel like her goal is to accentuate a woman’s natural beauty, not transform her into someone different."

"I am a runner at heart, but at the moment I sure don’t feel like one! I had an unofficial goal of making it to 28 weeks this time and I quit running at 26. Our bodies definitely tell us when it’s time to stop. I love, love, love swimming laps (there was a solid chunk of time when I competed in triathlons before kids), and will always have a home on my yoga mat, though making it to class every day like I did in my twenties isn’t exactly realistic (thank you online yoga). I am sooooo looking forward to being able to run again. It’s always kind of a long road back, but it feels so good when you get there. My best friend and I ran a marathon the year we graduated from college. We said we would run another one for our 40th birthdays, so without disclosing too much about my age, let’s just say I’m motivated to get back on the horse! More than anything exercise has always been important to my mental state, but I’ve realized this pregnancy in particular how important it also is to maintaining good relationships with my husband and kids!"

"With my business partners, I run two sites called 100 Layer Cake and 100 Layer Cakelet. Before starting my own business, I was a graphic designer. And before that I was a waitress who wanted to go to graduate school in painting. Funny how things turn out!"

Kristina wears a vintage dress.

"I grew up in San Diego, so I’m a California girl through and through. I went to UC San Diego for college and was an anthropology major. I was 100% on track to pursue my PhD in cultural anthropology for most of college, until the last year when I remembered my passion for art. I shifted gears, got a minor in painting, and decided I was going to get an MFA. I moved to L.A., fell in love with yoga, started dating my husband (we met in junior high but reconnected after college in L.A.), and while in a painting class met my future boss who shepherded me into graphic design. Which then led to blogging, Instagramming, and running two sites that inspire women in their celebrations, big and small."

"I quit my 'day job' when my first son was born, but luckily we’d already started 100 Layer Cake, so I focused on that as I could. Our business continued to grow and eventually I had childcare in my home 4 days a week and still feel lucky that I have been home (though not always available) throughout my children’s lives. It’s not the right choice for everyone and frankly sometimes it seems easier to go to an office! But I am thankful that I have created a work routine that is flexible enough to be the person who is ultimately there with my kids for all the stuff in life: meals, bath, bedtime stories, preschool events, volunteering at school. It’s not always enjoyable, but this is their life and mine and I want to be the person who was and is there with them."

"We launched Cakelet after my second was born, so yes, motherhood has definitely informed my interests and therefore my career! And guess what? It turns out that lots of women who read 100 Layer Cake for years leading up to their wedding are also stoked to find the same kind of inspiration that applies to family life."

"We are here to support one other for sure, but we run a really small business and it’s not realistic at this point that I am going to be checking out on a postpartum holiday with my baby. I swore that I would if I had a third! But here we are and it’s just not part of working for yourself as a mama. Luckily my job can be very remote and I imagine my laptop will be following me around the house for a while. It’s so not my ideal or my vision for how I approach family life in general, but if I wanted to have another baby I kind of knew this was the only way."

"I love that it’s my job. I’ve created it and no one else can do it, which means I get to decide how to give it all the attention I can while also giving my family the attention it needs as well. It’s not all easy breezy, of course. I have two business partners, we have employees, we have advertising partners, and they all count on me to show up and do my best every day."

To follow along with Kristina, check out her personal Instagram feed, and those for 100 Layer Cake, and 100 Layer Cakelet.