diff --git a/app/models/photo.rb b/app/models/photo.rb
index 6b5232fb4..d397d017e 100644
--- a/app/models/photo.rb
+++ b/app/models/photo.rb
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ class Photo < Post
   key :random_string
 
   key :status_message_id, ObjectId
-  
+
   timestamps!
 
   belongs_to :status_message
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ class Photo < Post
   #before_destroy :delete_parent_if_no_photos_or_message
   def ownership_of_status_message
     message = StatusMessage.find_by_id(self.status_message_id)
-    if status_message_id && message 
-      self.diaspora_handle == message.diaspora_handle 
+    if status_message_id && message
+      self.diaspora_handle == message.diaspora_handle
     else
       true
     end
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ class Photo < Post
     pod_url.chop! if APP_CONFIG[:pod_url][-1,1] == '/'
     "#{pod_url}#{url(*args)}"
   end
-  
+
   def self.gen_random_string(len)
     chars = ("a".."z").to_a + ("A".."Z").to_a + ("0".."9").to_a
     string = ""
@@ -98,11 +98,12 @@ class Photo < Post
       :photo => {
         :id => self.id,
         :url => self.url(:thumb_medium),
+        :thumb_small => self.url(:thumb_small),
         :caption => self.caption
       }
     }
   end
-  
+
   def self.hash_from_post_ids post_ids
     hash = {}
     photos = self.on_statuses(post_ids)
@@ -115,7 +116,7 @@ class Photo < Post
     hash.each_value {|photos| photos.sort!{|p1, p2| p1.created_at <=> p2.created_at }}
     hash
   end
-  scope :on_statuses, lambda { |post_ids| 
+  scope :on_statuses, lambda { |post_ids|
     where(:status_message_id.in => post_ids)
   }
 
diff --git a/app/views/photos/_new_photo.haml b/app/views/photos/_new_photo.haml
index 3f62608ab..fcdf09e35 100644
--- a/app/views/photos/_new_photo.haml
+++ b/app/views/photos/_new_photo.haml
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
        button: document.getElementById('file-upload'),
        sizeLimit: 4194304,
 
-
        onProgress: function(id, fileName, loaded, total){
         var progress = Math.round(loaded / total * 100 );
          $('#fileInfo').text(fileName + ' ' + progress + '%');
@@ -37,7 +36,10 @@
         $("#publisher_spinner").fadeOut(100);
         $('#file-upload').removeClass("loading");
         var id = responseJSON.data.photo.id;
-        var url = responseJSON.data.photo.url;
+        var url = responseJSON.data.photo.thumb_small;
+
+        $("#publisher textarea").addClass("with_attachments");
+
         $('#new_status_message').append("<input type='hidden' value='" + id + "' name='photos[]' />");
         $('#photodropzone').append(
           "<li style='position:relative;'>" +
diff --git a/app/views/shared/_publisher.haml b/app/views/shared/_publisher.haml
index 352addec4..ec3eeb388 100644
--- a/app/views/shared/_publisher.haml
+++ b/app/views/shared/_publisher.haml
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@
 
   .content_creation
     = form_for(StatusMessage.new, :remote => true) do |status|
-      %ul#photodropzone
       = status.error_messages
       #file-upload
         = image_tag 'icons/photos.png'
@@ -48,7 +47,9 @@
 
       %p
         %params
-          = status.text_area :message, :rows => 2, :value => params[:prefill]
+          #publisher_textarea_wrapper
+            %ul#photodropzone
+            = status.text_area :message, :rows => 2, :value => params[:prefill]
 
       = status.hidden_field :aspect_ids, :value => (aspect == :all ? aspect : aspect.id)
 
diff --git a/public/javascripts/stream.js b/public/javascripts/stream.js
index b52fbbbfc..0def21961 100644
--- a/public/javascripts/stream.js
+++ b/public/javascripts/stream.js
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ var Stream = {
     $stream.delegate("textarea.comment_box", "focus", function(evt) {
       var commentBox = $(this);
       commentBox
+        .attr('rows',2)
+        .addClass('force_open')
         .closest("li").find(".submit_instructions").removeClass('hidden');
     });
 
@@ -34,8 +36,9 @@ var Stream = {
       var commentBox = $(this);
       if (!commentBox.val()) {
         commentBox
-          .attr('rows',2)
-          .css('height','2.4em')
+          .attr('rows',1)
+          .removeClass('force_open')
+          .css('height','1.4em')
           .closest("li").find(".submit_instructions").addClass('hidden');
       }
     });
@@ -92,12 +95,18 @@ var Stream = {
       });
     });
 
+    $(".new_status_message").bind('ajax:loading', function(data, json, xhr) {
+      $("#photodropzone").find('li').remove();
+      $("#publisher textarea").removeClass("with_attachments");
+    });
+
     $(".new_status_message").bind('ajax:success', function(data, json, xhr) {
       json = $.parseJSON(json);
       WebSocketReceiver.addPostToStream(json['post_id'], json['html']);
       //collapse publisher
       $("#publisher").addClass("closed");
       $("#photodropzone").find('li').remove();
+      $("#publisher textarea").removeClass("with_attachments");
     });
     $(".new_status_message").bind('ajax:failure', function(data, html, xhr) {
       alert('failed to post message!');
diff --git a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
index 88fad15a0..4d3338247 100644
--- a/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
+++ b/public/stylesheets/sass/application.sass
@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ form
     :font
       :size auto
 
-
 .hidden
   :display none
 
@@ -376,7 +375,7 @@ li.message
       :right 5px
 
   &:hover
-    div.info, .time, .from
+    div.info, .time, .from h4
       a
         :color #107FC9
         &:hover
@@ -508,19 +507,17 @@ li.message
       :background none
       :border none
 
+  ul.comments
+    textarea
+      :width 324px
+
 .stream ul.comments
   .avatar
     :width 30px
     :height 30px
 
-  form
-    :margin
-      :right 12px
-
 input.comment_submit
   :display none
-  :margin
-    :right -10px
 
 ul.comments
   :margin 0
@@ -531,7 +528,10 @@ ul.comments
 
   textarea
     :width 100%
-    :height 2.4em
+    :height 1.4em
+
+  .force_open
+    :min-height 2.4em
 
   li.comment
     :list
@@ -910,6 +910,21 @@ label
     &.loading
       :opacity 0.5
 
+#publisher_textarea_wrapper
+  :position relative
+  textarea
+    :z-index 2
+
+    &.with_attachments
+      :padding
+        :bottom 70px
+
+  #photodropzone
+    :z-index 3
+    :position absolute
+    :bottom 0
+    :left 5px
+
 .field_with_submit
   input[type='text']
     :width 82%