April 21, 2014: Going home

After 35 days in the hospital, Miles was finally able to go home. Brooke and Cade knew taking on Miles’ extensive medical care would be an uphill battle, but they were excited to be together as a family. Madden immediately fell in love with Miles, who he called Bubba. 

“He’s like the perfect big brother for what we’ve gone through,” Cade said. “He was great. He was always very gentle, not playing too hard around him, and he would always just give him kisses.”

After Miles came home, Madden slept on the floor so he could peer through the crack under his door when he heard his parents in the middle of the night with Miles.

“If he would hear Miles cry, he’d be like, ‘Oh, Bubba crying,’” Brooke said. “Or if he heard us, anything with him, he would, ‘Oh, Bubba diaper change.’”

Miles required 24/7 monitoring, so they took turns with him through the night. Their newborn would be too hot or too cold. He had to constantly be fed through his G-tube. And just as everything was finished, his IV machine would go off, so they’d have to give him medicine. They barely slept.

But even with the exhaustion, the quiet moments in the middle of the night were some of the times Brooke felt closest to Miles. He was always cold to the touch, so she’d often rest his cheek against her warm one. It’s a feeling she’ll never forget, just like the way he stared at her during those times.

“He had very soulful eyes,” Brooke said. “People have said that too looking at his picture. When he would look at you, it was like he was looking at you through your soul or something.”