In With the New

I started a blog a few years ago with the intention of giving myself an outlet as a writer. You know, someplace to stretch my writing muscle by writing every day. I had just taken an online editing class and was really wanting to focus on my writing. I was also doing a lot of acting (I minored in it in college) and the blog gave me a great platform to discuss my two passions. I wrote about the things that I learned in my editing class as well as the acting class I was taking and posted about my experience with a feature film I was working on. Then I got pregnant.

Quickly, my posts went from the dramas on set to picking baby names and good baby books I had found. Baby, baby, baby. It was all I could think about. I became self-conscious, though, of my new topic when I still wanted to be seen as a writer and actress. Not that I was ashamed of having a baby by any means, but I just didn't think that anyone would be interested in my pregnancy dramas and sick days and the emotions I was going through. I've always been very self-conscious in that regard.

I tried to keep posting but struggled to find other things to talk about then the baby and eventually my posts dwindled to once a week. After our beautiful son Riley was born, I just didn't get on the computer that often. And when I did, all my posts were about him, of course. But, the experiences of being a new mother were so intimate, I had a hard time sharing my true feelings in such a public forum and eventually I stopped blogging all together.

It's been a year and a half since I've written on my old blog. As my son has gotten older and I have more freedom to be on the computer, I've been feeling the pull to write about my experiences again. Especially because some things are just too funny or cute to not share! I was still caught up with wondering who would actually care, though. I mean, how many moms blog about their children and their experience of being a mom? But, I was talking with an old friend of mine (the director of the first film I was in) and he encouraged me to start a fresh blog and reminded me why I prefer creative non-fiction writing: everyone has their own unique story, their own unique voice. People are fascinating. Children are fascinating. And though there may be many, many blogs just like mine, these are my own intimate stories and I hope that my friends and family will enjoy them.

Riley Roo is two years and two months old now and he's absolutely amazing. I've continued to write here and there, having been published a handful of times in Curve, the best-selling lesbian magazine that I interned with while I was pregnant, but I still need an outlet. This time I'm excited to focus entirely on my son and my experience as a mother.

So, welcome to Roo's Romps!

Love,
Aislinn