"My husband and I have been living in Redlands, California since before we got married. We were living in the sweetest little one-bedroom bungalow a few blocks away from here until a month before Harrison arrived. It was in a quiet little neighborhood with a market on the corner, but we realized we needed more space with the baby coming. Redlands is insanely charming, so even before we were looking for a new place, we'd gotten in the habit of walking or driving around just looking at all the houses in different neighborhoods and we stumbled upon our current house that way. We've been living in our home for a little over a year and it's been perfect for us—especially getting to experience all of Harrison's firsts like Christmas and Halloween."

"It's always evolving, but I'm big on neutral or muted colors and plenty of plants. There's not a lot to it—simple, clean lines and, even though we've got a lot of stuff, everything is in its place."

"The central idea is minimalism, but with some personal touches. It's not easy to adhere to a minimal aesthetic when you're a bit of a hoarder and you have a 1-year-old boy (and husband). I read Marie Kondo's book on streamlining your home and keeping only those things that spark joy, but I couldn't get on board with everything, especially on books. She advises not to keep things like books after reading them once, but they're like family to me. So, I guess the fact that all my books spark joy means I'm adhering to that philosophy at least? Same goes for all our vinyl records, etc."

Melissa wears a Han Starnes top and Madewell pants. Harrison wears a Go Gently top and Zara pants.

"I've got a few pieces from my friend and emerging artist Marleigh Culver that I love. I'm currently building our art collection at the moment. I found a cool sculpture at a thrift store, along with some great vases. And the newest piece is our vintage Wurlitzer spinet."

"It's sort of a never-ending battle, but we've got a bit of a system going. He's got his room and designated areas, but he's got free reign of a lot of the house. At the end of the day, we put everything in its place, and he's already learning that things need to be put away."

"All of the first steps and rites of passage. I'm a lot more emotional about it than I thought I would be. I always get sentimental and tell my husband that I'm going to miss Harrison at every stage, because he's a completely different being from one month to the next."

"Harrison Fry Muga. Harrison for the inimitable Harrison Ford, and Fry for Futurama's fumbling but lovable Philip J. Fry. We love that show so much, we've watched it a million and one times on Netflix and also own the DVD collection, and then Harrison Ford needs no explanation, right?"

"He's a book person already, which I love, so he's got plenty of storage and shelving for his collection of books and toys. It's nice and open and he loves spending time in there playing with his toy sushi kit from his auntie or paging through some books. His crib is from Stokke, and it fits just perfectly with that minimal but almost vintage feel I'm going for throughout the house, along with the mid-century rocking chair and plants and trees."

"The mounted shelves on the wall display a lot of my favorites, like Harry Nilsson's The Point on vinyl and the first photos of me and Johnny at the Orange County Fair when we first started dating. Oh, and the Leah Reena Goren giraffe planter is too cute."

"Oh, loads. Amanda Jane Jones and Joy Fitzgerald for sure. Their approaches to motherhood are inspiring, and I feel like I could take Harrison on play dates with their kids and we could sit around drinking tea and discussing our respective creative endeavors. And James Kicinski-McCoy, she makes the mother role seem much, much less one-dimensional with everything she's been able to accomplish while having a huge family. The support system from moms on Instagram has been especially wonderful. It's nice to see moms going through the same things and realizing we don't really know what we're doing but we're getting it done."

"We've gone through a few from the conventional What to Expect series to Alicia Silverstone's more holistic approach, but in the end, it's been a trial and error sort of thing. Each kid is different, but it's nice to get advice from a lot of varying sources."

"They're great sources of wisdom and experience. It's like you have this guide on what to do and what not to do, even if it might not always be asked for. I was raised in a very old-school, traditional, Catholic household. My parents are both from the Philippines, and I think there's a cultural influence there. They've instilled the morals and values that I hope to pass down to Harrison—perseverance, loyalty, fairness, honesty, compassion."

"I would probably give the usual advice and then tack on the very important addendum: You will never be/feel ready for everything that's about to happen, and you need to be okay with that."

Robot Monkey by Monroe Workshop.

"Initially, we were kind of hoping for a girl first, but we're so happy we have this sweet, charming, beautiful ball of energy. I'm excited to find out what sort of person he'll become."

"We had his first birthday downtown at a little historic building that used to be a real speakeasy (called, incidentally, The Speakeasy) and it was a little family gathering with a small individual pumpkin pie to smash in lieu of a smash cake. We also had a spin on a Korean birthday ritual where we lay out a bunch of wooden objects that signify career paths, like a tambourine, a book, a stethoscope—he chose the book, so he may end up being a writer/teacher like his parents!"

"We'd love to have another! We're planning on having as much time as we can just the three of us for a while before deciding on a second. I think we might stop at two, though."

"It's the best. It's a small, creative, supportive community. We can go out for Chinese food at our usual spot downtown, and Amy the owner will come to the table and steal Harrison away so Johnny and I can eat. There are so many parks (Harrison's favorite is the dog park) and tree-lined streets to walk down."

"We just went on a short trip to San Diego, which we love. Every time we go, we're always like, 'Let's move here!' It's very family friendly. And if we were ever to move near L.A., it would have to be Pasadena. It's got the same feel as Redlands, but a little bigger. I'd love to live in Portland, too, but I don't see us making that big a move anytime soon."

"To eat: Siam Dish (Thai), Dhat Island (Caribbean), Olive Avenue Market for a chai and flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, Anybody Coffee, Redlands Country Mart and Red Door Vintage for thrifting, Ford Dog Park, and Prospect Park."

"Like my home, simple. I've always stuck to neutrals and clean lines/colors. Even when I do pops of colors, they're more on the muted side. I'm getting bolder with color. I'm a big fan of citrusy shades like yellow, orange, and green right now. My style hasn't changed much since having Harrison. I think the only thing that's changed is that I try to wear more tops that make it easy to nurse. I think my style is a little more grown-up now, too, but a grown-up version of me, if that makes sense."

Melissa wears a Madewell top (worn backwards), Paloma Wool cords, and Mari Giudicelli shoes. Harrison wears a Micaela Greg sweater, Zara pants, and Native shoes.

"Lots of t-shirts and jeans. It sounds pretty basic, but basic is classic. Also, the cut and style of the shirts and jeans—and how you wear them—make all the difference."

"First Rite, Lauren Winter, and Paloma Wool, because their clothing just fits me and flatters me best and I love every single collection they put out. Jill Aiko Yee and Ace & Jig for when I get bolder with patterns and colors."

"I'm liking more structured pieces lately, like a blazer paired with a less structured piece like a silk camisole. And more color!"

"I do almost all my shopping online now, even though I love shopping in person and physically experiencing the textiles and trying things on. It's just less possible now with Harrison, but when he gets older, I'm getting back out there!"

"It's very minimal, as well. I'm pretty bad about it actually. I'm lazy, so I only wash my face in the morning in the shower. I don't brush my hair, and I only wash it 2-3 times a week. For my face, it's SPF tinted moisturizer, Glossier's Boy Brow, Cle Lip Powder, lip balm, and sometimes some eyeliner or mascara if it's a fancy occasion. That's about it."

"I was doing so well before Harrison was born! Cardio and yoga/pilates. But I'm going back, I swear!"

"I am a fiction writer and college English instructor. I teach composition at Moreno Valley College and Crafton Hills College (all near our home). I also do a lot of freelance writing for magazines and sponsored blogging, as well."

"I grew up in and lived in Southern California my whole life and went to college at UC Irvine for literary journalism before switching over to creative writing. I got my degree from Cal State San Bernardino and my Masters in Fine Arts from there, as well. The whole time I lived in Orange County, I was working in retail (J.Crew and independent bookstores) and writing for music publications like LA Record. When I moved back to the Inland Empire, I was still working retail at American Apparel and Anthropologie and then I got my teaching job after graduating. Since then, it's been teaching, blogging, designing my necklaces, and raising Harrison."

"I don't know that I've quite figured it all out yet. I think just removing distractions is key—and there are so many. Netflix, Hulu, memes! I am addicted to all the meme accounts on Instagram. It's insane. So, being decisive and putting all of those away is the only way to get things done."

"Oh, yes! I'm a procrastinator of the highest order, but having Harrison has made me realize that I can't get away with that as much, and I shouldn't anyway."

Melissa and Harrison wear Babaà sweaters. Harrison also wears Zuzii boots.

"It's opened up some new avenues in terms of partnerships with brands of a different demographic. It hasn't been a drastic change though."

"It was wonderful. In terms of time off, I was able to take off three months, which was so helpful. I was able to move into our new house and make it into a home before Harrison arrived, and then I was able to have some bonding time before getting back into full-time work. Blogging didn't really stop at all, though. I loved sharing what was going on in my life and the changes that took place. It was rough at times because Johnny, my husband, went back to work after winter break (he teaches 5th grade) and it was just me and this tiny living thing every day and I was feeling unsure of myself, but it was so great in its own way and I would do it all over."

"Like I've mentioned, it's a balancing act. I'm lucky that I work from home so Harrison is hanging out with me while I photograph things for my blog, or he's amusing himself with his books while I grade essays. I'm also lucky enough to have a supportive husband who will let me get away for short periods of time to get work done at a coffee shop somewhere."

"Oh, yes. I've got my mother who doesn't live too far away, so she'll come to the house and watch Harrison while I run errands. My older sister and Johnny's sisters are all great sources of advice and help, as well, being moms themselves. It's nice to have family close by. My friend Erin of Calivintage has also been kind and helpful whenever I've needed it. 'Mom friends' are something I don't have a lot of, but she's great because she's a work-at-home creative mom, too, so we get together at our local market for a coffee/tea and talk about our kids and our blogs."

"The ability to work from home is the best, and I love the creative aspect in all parts of my job."

"Oh, boy. Probably to sleep train? It's so important and necessary to have time to ourselves, which we don't get a lot of. That's something we're working on. Harrison is still taking up most of our bed. We're in the process of getting him in his crib. The last date we went on was to watch La La Land and have lunch and it was so great. Thanks goes to Johnny's mom for watching Harrison!"

"I'm looking to go bigger in 2017. I've been talking about opening my own shop where I would sell my necklaces, vintage, home goods, clothing from all the brands I've worked with, etc. I'm hoping to get things in gear, finally."

For more on Melissa, check out her Instagram feed.