Mother Stories
At Home With Mom Of 2 (Under 2 1/2), Chesley Carele
Written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano
Photography by Photographed by Kara Brodgesell
Jun 8, 2021
You know that comment from strangers, often remarked to mothers of little ones, “Well, you’ve certainly got your hands full!”? In the case of Bay Area-based mama Chesley Carele, she wouldn’t have it any other way. The fashion stylist and mother of two youngsters—Evan, 2 1/2, and Elliette, 4 months—is loving her kids’ 2-year age gap and will (hopefully) have more children on the way in the future. Below, we catch up with Chesley to talk about everything from raising kids close together, to the family-first ethos that she inherited from her own close-knit family. Plus, feeding!
With an oversupply issue affecting both of her breastfeeding experiences, pumps and bottles have become a way of life for Chesley. Luckily, Nanobébé provided her with a brand-new stock of baby bottles for her latest journey. Founded by two fathers with 6 kids between them, Nanobébé’s newest product is the Flexy Silicone Bottle, which features a super soft, mom-like feel, the first ever anti-colic system with 3 vents, and a stable base that prevents tip overs—all reasons why moms have absolutely fallen in love with the Flexy. Take a look at it in action in our slideshow below, as Chesley and her adorable duo invite us into their home!
This post is brought to you by Mother + Nanobébé.
-
- Meet the sweet family: Evan, 2 1/2, Elliette, 4 months, and mama Chesley.
-
-
Elliette drinks from Nanobébé's beloved Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle, which features a squeezably soft, breast-like experience that helps provide a smooth transition to bottle feeding—or when combining bottle feeding with breastfeeding—without the worry of nipple confusion.
The super-soft design, crafted with baby-safe, food-grade silicone, is something babies love handling on their own.
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"My baby girl Elliette is 4 months old and she is definitely our little feisty one who expresses what she wants! She really loves to put all of her hands in her mouth, watch her older brother Evan play, and loves to be held standing up (that’s how mommy and daddy get our daily step goal count in!). She is such a sweetheart and gives us the biggest smiles."
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"Evan is 2 years old, almost 2 1/2! He lovesss anything with wheels—cars, trains, firetrucks, excavators, you name it! He loves Blippi, anything related to the Disney movie Cars and Lightning McQueen, and Blues Clues & You! We just enrolled him in Montessori daycare in April all day, 5 days a week, and he seems to really enjoy it! He tells us all about his day and remembers his teachers’ and friends’ names."
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
Big brother Evan loves to get in on the feeding action.
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
The interior and exterior of the
Nanobébé Flexy bottle is made of naturally hygienic silicone that’s BPA-free, phthalate-free, lead-free, and PVC-free.
Plus, it includes the only baby bottle nipple to feature 3 anti-colic vents and a non-collapsible design, so baby keeps the perfect latch and it prevents post-feeding fussiness, gassiness, and discomfort.
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
The Nanobébé Flexy Bottle features a stable, non-tipping base that prevents spills and an easy-to-read volume scale with a clear viewing window that makes it easy to prepare your milk or baby formula and to track exactly how much your baby is eating.
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"My husband and I definitely wanted to have our first two kids close in age if we were able to. I love the idea of having them be two years apart, as I was able to really cherish my time with Evan when he was a baby, and now that he’s 2+ years old, he’s more self aware and independent, which made it easier for us to adjust as a new family of 4. I don’t think we’re done yet, though!"
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"The biggest high is watching Evan and Elliette interact with one another. I am still in awe with how sweet, gentle, and caring Evan is with Elliette since the first day we came home from the hospital. He always hugs and kisses her throughout the day, and always wants to have Elliette by his side when he’s playing."
"A low is definitely trying to handle a toddler who is more vocal, opinionated, and independent with an infant who pretty much needs you 24/7. Personally, I found it harder to adjust from 1 to 2 kids than from having Evan first. I feel like I’m spread way too thin and can’t give my full energy, attention, and time to my kids during the day. Mom guilt definitely sets in during those times."
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
Bottle vs. firetruck bumper cars!
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"Their names mean so much to me and my husband! Our dating and wedding anniversary is on November 11 (11/11). We wanted to keep the date the same for both, since it always meant so much to us, as we started dating in high school (since 2004!) and will be celebrating 5 years of marriage this year. I also love how 11:11 signifies unity in love, balance, and a great reminder to keep a positive and optimistic attitude to achieve your dreams."
"So, when Stranger Things came out, our favorite character was obviously 'Eleven' and we thought that would actually be a cool name for our future kid! Then we thought, well why don’t we just name them 'El & Evan'? Since we had a boy first, we knew his name would be Evan, and no matter the sex for our second baby he or she would be named Elliot/Elliette, as we loved that name for both."
-
-
"My feeding journey with Elliette has definitely had its highs and lows so far. It’s pretty similar to Evan, as I feel like my supply is the same as when I was nursing him, however that means I have oversupply issues again. I unfortunately got mastitis when Elliette was 8 weeks old and it was such a painful and terrifying experience that I hope no mama ever has to experience. I used to get a lot of clogged ducts when nursing Evan due to my oversupply issues, and I’m experiencing the same thing with Elliette. I’m trying everything to get my supply down, but so far I’m just in that constant cycle of having to pump/nurse a lot to get the clog out, which in turn signals my body to produce more milk. Now that I’m back to work and have to pump most of the day, for some reason I get a clogged duct everyday as the pump doesn’t seem to drain my breasts as well as Elliette can. It’s so painful and definitely disrupts my focus at work. I’m torn on what to do at the moment, but I’m so thankful I have a supply to feed her and will continue to do it as long as she wants. However, if it does get too painful and stressful, I might stop earlier than with Evan, whom I nursed for 15 months."
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"I love how soft the silicone feels on the bottle! It’s so gentle to the touch and Elliette also loves to hold it. The base is very stable, which is so perfect as other bottles we’ve tried are tall and skinny and tend to tip over—I definitely have cried over spilled milk, ha!"
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"I’m really excited to see their dynamic of the older brother with a younger sister! I have an older sister, so I never really got to see that older brother relationship, and it’s going to be exciting and fun to watch these two interact and develop their relationship and bond over the years! Honestly, I didn’t care about the sex when I was pregnant the first time, I wanted a healthy baby. But we actually found out at our 12-week ultrasound, as our ultrasound technician saw it clear as day and we just wanted to know too!"
"Being pregnant the second time, I felt pressure from family and friends that I should hope for a girl, so I’ll have one of each, and I think that was just so stressful to even think about. I tried to get that idea out of my head, but it was so tough. I took the NIPT test at 10 weeks and found out 2 weeks later I was pregnant with a girl!"
-
-
Baby Elliette signaling for another feed.
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
- "My heart feels so full and I am just so unbelievably thankful and blessed to have these two babies in our lives. Though it gets really tough and exhausting, I wouldn’t trade it for the world and I absolutely love being a mom to my two kids. It’s so rewarding to see my babies love each other, and I’m beginning to feel more confident in myself with all aspects of my life—parenting, motherhood, career, and life goals. Us mamas can seriously do anything we put our minds to, and it truly takes a village to raise a family. I owe so much to my family and friends for their help and support with raising our babies."
-
- The duo's sweet matching outfits are from NFB Collection.
-
- Baby girl joy, all day everyday.
-
-
"With Evan, I make sure to have one-on-one time with him everyday for at least 30 minutes where we do whatever he wants and I get to focus all of my attention on him. It’s such a special time, as I love watching just how much he is learning everyday. He talks so much now (he literally won’t stop talking!), we read books together, we play pretend, and he also loves finding new ways to play with his cars."
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"With Elliette, I definitely cherish the time when I feed her. My favorite part is when she is so calm after feeding and she just lays in my arms so relaxed and sleeping peacefully. I also love talking, singing, and making silly sounds to get her to smile and laugh!"
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"It was such a wild ride filled with many highs and lows! I was so happy to be pregnant again, but being pregnant during the pandemic was such a difficult and emotional time. I had to go to all of my doctor’s appointments, ultrasounds, and blood tests alone and it was just so nerve-racking to be all alone during this vulnerable time. And I wanted to celebrate baby girl, but it just didn’t feel right for us to throw a baby shower especially at the height of the pandemic, so we didn’t really get to see many loved ones all last year."
"Despite all of that, this pregnancy opened my eyes to prioritizing what truly matters in my life—my family, our happiness, health, and safety. I enjoyed the time alone with our little family before baby Elliette arrived, watching all the new things Evan would learn and do, and cherishing these beautiful simple moments together. It was such a great time to bond with one another and prepare for baby girl."
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"I’m a fashion stylist and I absolutely love what I do! I knew that I wanted to continue working after giving birth to Evan, as it fulfills that part of me that is inspired to work hard towards my career goals. Unfortunately, I got laid off in April 2020 due to the pandemic and that was so hard for me. I loved my job, loved my team so much, and it was just a huge shock. I didn’t know what to do. Thankfully, I was able to freelance for my old company and have worked with new clients since then!"
"I haven’t freelanced in awhile, so this pushed me to work even harder, stay focused and committed, and get out of my comfort zone. I pretty much worked and commuted into the city my entire pregnancy with Elliette, and though it would get tough and tiring, it was such a great way to be creative, work with other amazing and talented people, and helped me stay active and healthy. Freelancing during this time also pushed me to get my Instagram and social media to the next level, and I have loved connecting with more inspiring mamas, other creatives, and brands."
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
Nanobébé's soft-to-the-touch design also features a flexible, wide-neck that makes it easy to clean. Plus, it's dishwasher and microwave safe!
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
- "Watching my Evan and Elliette continue to grow, learn, and develop their sibling bond together! I’m so excited to watch them grow into their personalities, learn new things everyday, and to be able to witness as much of that, and create beautiful memories together as a family."
-
- "The fear of the unknown. All I wish for is for my babies to be healthy, safe, and happy. This time with all of the unrest in our country makes me so worried for their future, and I only hope the future generations will fight for justice and embrace the change we need for a better future for our babies."
-
- The definition of cute.
-
-
"I grew up in Fremont, California. I have an older sister who is 8 years older than me. I loved where we grew up, loved the schools I attended, and also enjoyed having so much family, family friends, and close loved ones around us to grow up with. My parents were very involved in my and my sister’s lives and encouraged us to pursue our interests (mine was in dance). My mom came with me to every dance recital, practice, and other events! My parents are so supportive and taught us how respect, hard work, and staying humble will help you succeed in anything you put your mind to! I owe them everything and am so thankful for my family."
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
- That brother-sister love.
-
-
Aside from this Gray design, the Nanobébé Flexy Silicone Bottle comes in White, Teal, and Pink.
There's also a line of Flexy Pacifiers in matching hues.
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
"A close, tight-knit family, respect for elders, eating dinner together every night, valuing the time we spend together even if it’s as simple as going to our favorite Chinese restaurant every Saturday night after church, playing 'mah-jong' on a random night during the summer with my family, and staying up late to play basketball with my dad outside. I also loved going to so many gatherings and parties with my family, a huge plus of growing up in a Filipino household! Lots of karaoke, good food, and fun times!"
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
Flexy Pacifier, $5.49, Nanobébé.
-
-
"The best memories I had growing up was the time we all spent together, being supportive and involved in each other’s interests, and knowing that I will always have my family by my side cheering me on. I hope to instill the values and lessons that I’ve learned from them to my kids. The biggest lessons that I’ve learned is to treat your elders with respect, the importance of actively being a part of my children’s lives, and having them know that we support and love them no matter what, and to have fun and joke around!"
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
Flexy Pacifier, $5.49, Nanobébé.
-
-
Bubble time!
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
- "Stay humble, stay true to yourself, work hard for what you want, and keep your priorities the sole focus and motivation in everything that you do. Remember what’s most important in life and to cherish that everyday—to me it’s my family."
-
-
"Go to San Diego and Disneyland with my family! Also, I can’t wait to go to the beach and eat at a restaurant as a family of 4!"
Flexy Silicone Baby Bottle (9 oz.), $12.99, Nanobébé.
-
-
For more on Chesley and her family, be sure to follow along at @chesleycarele on Instagram.
To shop the Nanobébé products featured, head over to nanobebe.com.
Share this story
