Miles was able to wean off his TPN back on the 15th.  They decided to keep his NG tube in on the 16th because he didn't quite meet his oral intake goal and needed to supplement with tube feeds overnight on the 15th.  On the 16th Miles did a great job eating and they decided to see what he would do overnight and not run the tube feeds.  

Ryan and I had been contemplating whether or not we should go home for the night on the 16th so we were able to wake up with Olivia on her birthday.  We also needed a semi-decent nights sleep.  Miles' care team really encouraged us to go home so we made the tough decision to leave that night.  I was able to read the nurses note from the night and it sounded like he did really well.  Olivia was so happy to have us home the morning of her birthday and when we told her how good Miles did she said that was perfect.  I will say Bella (our dog) would not give me the time of day when we got home on the 16th, but of course would go over by Ryan 🙄.  Poor pup knew something was off this whole time.

Around 9 AM on the 17th (Olivia's birthday) we received a phone call from Miles' nurse that morning.  She said he had a great night, she had pulled out the NG tube, and that Miles no longer had a reason he needed to stay at the hospital!  My sister Becky and her husband Sam were there with Miles at this time, so they actually knew before we did.  The nurse pulled out his PICC line and they helped give Miles a bath so he was all fresh for home.  Ryan and I decided to take Olivia bowling and spend most of the day with her before heading back to the hospital to take Miles HOME!  We decided to only tell our immediate family members yesterday because we wanted to make sure Olivia's birthday was only about her.

We got home with Miles around 4:30 PM and we couldn't have been more excited to all be home as a family again in time for Olivia's birthday party this weekend.  Our main focus now is getting Miles back to his regular schedule and get him back to eating his normal amount for bottles.  This will take a little bit of time, but he has been making very good progress.  Depending on how Miles is doing we will trial him going back to daycare sometime next week.  The doctors thought it would be a good idea to wait a little bit before sending him back to make sure everything is going well. 

Miles spent 20 long days in the hospital.  This whole experience has never felt like reality and was something we never want to have to experience again.  We now pray that Miles STAYS healthy.  He will have an appointment with his pediatrician to make sure everything is going well.  

We want to thank everyone for their prayers and the support we received during this difficult time.  Thank you to our families who stepped in to take care of Olivia so she was able to still go to daycare, dance, and still feel so much love when Ryan and I weren't able to be there.  We will never be able to say thank you enough.  We are SO ready to put this all behind us. Thank you so so so so much everyone.  We made it!!

With Love,

Ryan, Jocelyn, Olivia, & Miles Kunkel 🤍