This blog is the level of therapy I can afford. As mom to a little boy with Down syndrome and a little girl with big blue eyes and a piercing shriek (ages 2 years and 9 months, respectively), I have stocked up on my share of wine. Eventually, however, one must find a, er, healthier solution, shall we say.

For me, it’s writing. I never really expect anyone to read my words, and generally I get embarrassed when I find out someone actually has (especially when I remember what I’ve shared). Strange yet entertaining things happen to me on a regular basis, probably because I’m Catholic. Or maybe it’s the Irish. Possibly because my lot in life as a tremendously sarcastic person is to be followed by peculiarity.

At any rate, when I began to write about my experiences as a mother of a child with special needs, a weight began to lift from my chest. I’m still waiting for it to lift from my butt… but that’s another column.

As fate would have it, a friend from another life is the parenting editor for SheKnows.com, which owns allParenting.com. She invited me to write weekly, and my column, “Chasing Charlie,” launched this past Monday.

My goal is to honestly and consistently represent everything that I am:

  • A mother of two beautiful children dangerously close to each other in age and a nanosecond from being able to walk;
  • A wife to an incredibly supportive and goofy man who knows how to make me laugh through tears;
  • A daughter to parents whose values help guide me every day and whose commitment to their children I hope to emulate;
  • A sister to two talented and passionate siblings who have supported me through anything I asked them to, and many things I never even had to mention;
  • A friend to loved ones nationwide who entered my life at so many different stages and for so many different yet necessary reasons;
  • A colleague to hard-working, dedicated and loyal professionals who have become family;
  • And last but not least… a parent learning to navigate the maze of questions, uncertainties, fears, elation and all-consuming love that comes with having a child with Down syndrome.

My blog, www.OperationHaveItAll.com, satisfies my need to write about my everyday life as I try to balance a PR career in corporate America with my family. I can vent the highs, lows and abundance of middle ground that make up my weekdays at home and my weekdays in the office.

“Chasing Charlie” — I hope — will fulfill my need to feel like everything I’ve been through, whether proudly or through tears of shame, can help someone else in a similar situation.

I hope, as someone who has learned more about me than you ever cared to fathom, you will share your thoughts, your feedback and your suggestions on ways I can try to bring value through both the blog and the column.

Thank you for making this trip with me! I hope you packed wine!