John's Hopkins Burn Center

The world is just a little lighter this afternoon. Mommy and Daddy took Johnny to Johns Hopkins Burn Center this morning to have his burn debreved and it went better then any of us imagined!

Neither of us have been getting much sleep, well last night Mommy took advantage of her insomnia worrying about Johnny to make him something special to help with this process. Say hello to "Boobooasauris"


Boobooasuris is a "flying dinosaur, up in the sky," who has a booboo right where Johnny does. Johnny told the dinosaur "stay away from the fire pit! you'll be okay."

He then went on to kiss the dinosaur's booboos and then have the dinosaur kiss his.

We headed to John's Hopkins in downtown Baltimore after dropping Lily off Grams and Pops and getting some a hasbrown from McDonald's. The waiting room at the clinic was over whelming, so many kids, so many ages, with so many different aliments. It was very sad and very encouraging that children could be so strong. And speaking of strong when we took our little man back to see the doctor he didn't cry one bit! That could have in part to do with the oycodine we gave him, but I was just so proud and so happy with how this all went. We had been really scared during the last few days of what this appointment would bring, things like scrapping at burns, holding him screaming down or having to have his hand wired with the bandaging, or one of the worst things that my mind thinks of at 2 am is having my kids taken away because I let this all happen to him.

But as we walked back to the doctor's office Johnny was chating up a storm and listening really well. He sat on the examination table and told the doctor about his dinosaur shoes and his dinosaur shirt and before he knew anything was happening his blister was cut open and he told us it was wet. A few peaceful minutes later he was all bandaged up and getting a lolly pop, it was that simple! He has a follow up appointment in 10 days, since it should only take 2 weeks for these burns to heal! This is amazing to me since I feared that his summer play was over. We must keep it wrapped with triple antibiotic cream until his next appointment, except for baths when he can play in the water with no bandages as much as he wants. The only thing we need to be concerned with is keeping it clean and wrapped, he can do anything with his hand that he feels like he can, within our reasonable safety limits of course. There is no reason to make him take the iky antibiotic! and we can switch back to Tylenol for pain when we think he is ready.

He was happy leaving the clinic and was a little loopy in the car holding onto his Boobooasuris, but it didn't take long at all for him to be back to his old self!

He still has a sore throat, slight fever and diarrhea from the hand foot and mouth disease (which thankfully Lily still isn't showing signs of.) But he was running around free and happy all afternoon, holding back nothing! Using his bandaged hand and not once complaining of pain. When Shawn changed his bandage this evening, the burn was looking so much better then before! Scabbing nicely and already healing up!!!

We can never forget what happened or not feel guilty for it, but seeing his amazing strength and now being on the healing side of this wound I feel a small weight lifted off my shoulders and I might actually sleep tonight. John Robert is an amazing child and one day I know I will look at the man he will become and see this strength intensified.