more of this, please.

all hail jade beall.

these photographs and this article

are just what i needed to hear.

i had a baby four months ago.

my body is still loose.

my stretchmarks have faded from purple to brown.

my arms are bigger.

my boobs feel like they will never shrink back to their beloved c-cup status.

my bottom is more bootylicious than it's ever been.

everything is different.

my body changed.

my body may never "go back" to what it was.

and sometimes, i let that thought sink deep into my soul.

i let it cripple me.

i let it defeat me. 

but then, i read posts like this and articles like this

and remember that i once praised my body for its ability to create

and i have to stop.

i have to slap myself for hating 

the very change that brought me my greatest joy.

i am not ashamed of my stretchmarks.

i am learning to love this soft body of mine.

i am learning to accept myself. 

i hope to one day quiet that voice that makes me feel worthless 

because my body isn't airbrushed perfection. 

but for now, i'm trying.

{photos via}