CBB Exclusive: Melissa Joan Hart talks to us about motherhood and Mason

In an exclusive interview, Melissa Joan Hart talks to us about parenting and being a mother to her adorable son, Mason Walter Wilkinson, 15 months (his birthday was January 11th). Melissa says that motherhood is just "incredible" and that she can't imagine not having Mason around.

Click Continue Reading the read the highlights of our chat and to post/read comments.

Melissa is totally in awe of Mason, saying that he is like a little science experiment; it is so amazing to watch him grow and develop.
He is incredible. Like a little science experiment watching him everyday learn something new. Tonight before he went to bed, I was singing the Doodlebops song and by watching me do the motion they always do, he picked it up in under two minutes. It's just amazing to see how humans develop and how quickly we change!

He is walking as well and experimenting with that too!
He has been walking since her was almost 11 months and when he started it was more like running. Now he is playing around with walking on different textures (like sand and snow) and walking on his tip toes and he also loves the stairs which keeps me very busy!

Mason seems to be constantly teething.
I swear Mason has been teething since the day he was born. He is now getting his last two molars and we can tell when he is having a rough day cause he just wants to be held all day! Those days we use a little Orajel and a little infant Tylenol to calm him down before he naps and goes to bed.

Gear and fashion! What are Melissa's favorite items that she uses with Mason?
My favorite baby items are his shoes - mini Converse (we have seen Mason in the Chuck Taylor All Star Hi Tropical and Surf sneakers - $28) and Adidas. So cute! The stroller I prefer is the Maclaren (they have the 2005 limited edition Quest by Kate Spade - it is no longer available but you can purchase other Quests from $225), but my hubby (Mark Wilkerson) and babysitter prefer the Infant Graco (they have a Graco carseat and then one of the Graco strollers) we used when he was still in his baby car seat!

What about Mason's nursery?

His nursery is all green and white with some golden yellows tossed in. The carpet is gingham as well as the drapes, the glider and bedding is green toile. On the walls his step-Grandma painted some Dr. Seuss characters like, Yertle the Turtle, and Peter Pan is flying above his crib. We also have Big Nut Brown hare holding little nut brown hare from Guess How Much I Love You By Sam McBratney ($7 at Amazon) and the Fox and the Hound cause we have a little dog named Cooper after the hound in the movie. But the center pieces of the room are a Venetian mask we bought in Venice, when I was pregnant that is the sun kissing the moon, and an original drawing from Dr. Seuss' Oh the Thinks you can Think ($9 at Amazon). And those two things are the reason we did all the murals that have to do with the sky and moon!

The TV shows and books Mason adores.
Masons favorite books right now are A Fish out of Water by Helen Palmer ($9 at Amazon) and Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham ($9 at Amazon). It is weird because he chose those books...we never really pushed reading those specific ones to him, he just loves them! He watches the Baby Channel mostly and loves the shows Honk, Toot and Swo-swoosh, Tec the Tractor and Squeak. We also just introduced him to the Disney channel and he is OBSESSED with the Doodlebops. It's like the Barney of this generation!

Other entertainment and playdates with other celebrity babies.
Mason and I enjoy going to Gymboree classes once a week (attend a free class when you print out a voucher here), and we meet up with his friends at the park or for lunch and walks with Soleil [Moon Frye] and [daughter] Poet [Goldberg, 20 months] sometimes. Mainly we go hiking every other day with Kellie [Martin] and Maggie [5 months]! I put Mason in one of those backpacks (they are awesome) and we head out in the afternoons.

Her career! What is Melissa working on at the moment?
I just finished working on a TV movie for ABC family called Holiday in Handcufffs, with Mario Lopez which comes out in December and I am heading to New York tomorrow to shoot an episode of Law and Order: SVU.

They want to live somewhere besides LA.
My hubby and I would love to raise Mason somewhere besides LA. It's too busy and loud here. No real community to ride your bike around. We love NY, and Lake Tahoe best but my husband would like to be back in the south around Nashville or Charlotte, I think!

They took Mason to Disneyland for his first birthday and he loved it. So much, that they are taking him back in June.

Mason loved Disneyland more than I thought he would. He was transfixed on everything (and ate junk all day long). I had no idea he would be so into it. We are going back in June for the opening of the Nemo ride and we can't wait because he will be even more into it now that he knows, some of the characters and is a little more alert about what's going on.

We asked Melissa what her favorite parenting books were. She tells us that no one is "wonder Mom."
I am reading a great book for moms right now, I think it is called I Was a Better Mother Before I Had Kids [by Lori Borgman - from $11 at Amazon]. It makes you feel normal and lets you know that no one is "wonder Mom" and I think that is important to remember. No one has it completely together. If they look like they do, don't buy it!

Pregnancy and breastfeeding was harder than she ever imagined. What would she do differently next time?
I never realized how hard being pregnant would be...so uncomfortable and breastfeeding was even harder to deal with. I made it seven months but if it wasn't for the glorious invention of the pump, I don't think it would have worked. I read every book I could get my hands on about pregnancy and hardly got around to the parenting books. Next time, I am going to study the ones about the 1st year and all the different angles on how to raise them and see if I did it right. I spent so much time worrying about the labor and learning about being pregnant and didn't prepare quite enough for the actual baby. But thats what pediatricians are for right!?

And what about a sibling for Mason?
I hope to have a little sibling for Mason sometime around his 3rd birthday but first I want him to learn how to snowboard because I feel like that will be a marker of his self control!

Overall, Melissa lets us know that the main thing is that she adores her baby boy and he makes everyday special and so much more worthwhile.
I adore my baby boy and can't imagine not having him around. He makes everything ok, if I've had a bad day or a good one! There is nothing like having your baby show you he loves you, whether it's a high five, kiss, hug, or just pulling on your pants to get attention.