On Thursday night, Cleveland Cavaliers marksman J.R. Smith and his wife, Jewel Harris, shared some good news about their daughter Dakota, who was born almost five months prematurely.
On Dakota’s 78th day in the NICU, Jewel went to visit her daughter and learned that she had her breathing tube removed for the first time. Nurses at the hospital told Jewel, “She’s not intubated anymore”. The happy mother was finally able to hold her bundle of joy without careful assistance from nurses.
Jewel has been chronicling Dakota’s progress on her blog, mykotabear.com. Her joy is evident in her words.
“ME: Its a school night, I need to get back home to Demi and I know the kangaroo process will take too long.
NURSE: No it won’t take long, she’s not intubated anymore, I can take her right out and you can hold her.
ME: Wait hold her… what do you mean hold her? don’t I have to take off my shirt, get the tubes taped on me and all that so she can lay on my breast?
NURSE: No, we are going to leave her swaddled and you can hold her with your hands.
ME: HUH? YOU ARE PLAYING RIGHT?
NURSE: No, I’m serious!!”
Obviously, Jewel was elated to hear the good news. She goes on to say that she “hopped up so damn fast that her new nickname should be Flash”.
“I mean, I was beyond excited to hold our 2lb. 13oz miracle in the palm of my hands for the very first time,” Jewel writes in her blog. “What some mothers get to experience within the first two minutes of giving birth, I had to wait 78 days. But what I will say is it was worth the wait, because those very feelings, emotions and joy that took over my body, trumps it all.”
Jewel gave thanks to God in her closing statements, saying: “To God be the glory…I thank you.” As one big Cavaliers family, we should continue to keep little Dakota and the Smith family in our thoughts and prayers going forward.
