body by baby

These pictures were taken 4 days before Henry's birth.

It's okay if you're not sure how to react. It even shocks me a little.

And now, three and a half months postpartum, I find myself trying to shed those last few...er...several pounds. I am embracing the fact that my belly button will likely forever wear a hood, and the sunburst of stretch marks around it (that I didn't realize were there until after delivery) may or may not go away. I always wondered what a post-delivery body looked like. And now I know.
Yes, I've muttered I few complaints here and there. Wondering if I'll ever look good in a swimsuit again. Wondering if my four-year-old students will ever stop asking if I have another "little" baby in there. I'm done with that.
I have a husband who thinks I'm beautiful. A bouncing baby boy who knows me as Mommy. And a Savior who so wonderfully created me. How amazing that when our children are all grown up, my body will be forever worn and marked by the signs of carrying them for nine months, nursing them, and whatever else motherhood has yet to bring.
Thank you, Lord, for the gift of my family. And thank you for the stretch marks, too.