The Special Mommy Chronicles is a column written by Silvia C., the mom of a Special Need child (son suffers from the Recessive Dystrophic form of Epidermolysis Bullosa) which offers insights, stories and struggles that go along in raising special kids.

Follow the adventures of Charlie, an urban three-year-old on the fast track, and his slow-track mommy. In this hilarious volume, Charlie gets a haircut like Sting’s, runs up a tab at a baseball game, and prefers the garlic press to any of his expensive “educational” toys. Charlie is a kid learning to be a consumer. His mommy reveals important secrets, like which stroller is “in,” which is the “right” playgroup, and how to throw a fabulous fourth birthday party. Moms and dads alike will find these anecdotes of parenting at the end of the century to be truly priceless.

When girlfriends Stephanie Triplett and Sara Ellington realized that they were both pregnant and their babies were due just weeks apart, they began e-mailing each other constantly. Throughout their individual journeys, both women discovered many aspects of pregnancy, childbirth, and especially motherhood that no one ever seemed to talk about. Stephanie and Sara had both read every book on these subjects they could find so why weren’t they prepared for the roller-coaster ride they were about to embark on? Why hadn’t anyone ever given then the real truth about being a Mommy before?! The Mommy Chronicles is a warm, candid, and sometimes irreverent view into the lives and emotions of these two new mothers. In intimate and often hilarious detail, the authors share their own diverse-and universal-experiences as they progress from being pregnant…to being parents. Listen in on their conversations as they laugh, cry, rage, and celebrate. Labor and delivery, postpartum depression, career choices, daycare dilemmas, husbands who don't get it - it's all here, presented in an entertaining, easy-to-read format.

Joan Rita Hahn Pizano was an eternal optimist and deeply spiritual. Her capacity to receive and give love was astounding and she was a beloved mother, wife, sister, aunt and friend. When her oncologist told her there were no more treatment options for her cancer, she faced the news with resolve and looked forward to the miracle of Heaven. Her lack of fear and depth of peace greatly helped her family and friends deal with the inevitable. But it was her sense of humor that impacted so many and as her daughter "chronicled" her last six months on earth, the stories evoked tears and laughter simultaneously. This is a story of a woman who was totally unafraid to die, who in fact embraced the process of the passing and who truly lived until she breathed her last breath.

Wouldn't it be great if we could all remember when we were born? We'd know exactly who loved us, embraced us, and who we brought joy to in this world. In this book, that is something I hope to find out. How I was received by my parents when I was born. The love that we grow to know and how to express it, we start to understand when we are older. This is a story of how I found out who loved me, who didn't, and why. The one thing about knowing the truth is accepting the truth. When you find out that the people you expect to love you, and be there for you, and support you, don't; you must accept it and move on. You go through life loving so many different people and experiencing so many disappointments in life. But you stay hopeful that people will love you for you. The greatest joy is that we are still able to continue loving, because that is what we truly desire.

The Helix was created to revolutionize the way we communicate. But even the purest of intentions can spawn terrible evil. This wasn’t what Lithia had in mind when she decided to run away from home. Her ship was not meant to carry a fugitive wanted in two galaxies, or the stowaways running from a war that wasn’t hers. She just wanted to live a quiet, peaceful life alongside her brother. But now she knows too much about The Helix, the secret hidden deep within it, and what it would mean for all humankind if she walked away.