J.R. Smith

J.R. Smith and his wife shared good news about his daughter, Dakota, Thursday night.

(Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- About two weeks ago, Cleveland Cavaliers swingman J.R. Smith spoke in an optimistic tone about his daughter, Dakota, who was born almost five months before her due date.

Smith and his wife, Jewel, shared some more promising news on Thursday night, revealing that Dakota had her breathing tube removed for the first time. Smith's wife learned the good news when she went to visit her daughter at the NICU on Day 78.

According to Jewel's blog, which has been used to chronicle the progress, the nurse told her, "she's not intubated anymore," and mom was able to hold her without the nurses having to carefully secure the breathing tubes.

"I mean I was beyond excited to hold our 2lb 13oz miracle in the palm of my hands for the very first time," Jewel wrote at mykotabear.com. "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."

Shortly after J.R. Smith returned to the practice court, he mentioned his daughter, who weighed one pound at birth, putting on some weight recently.

"This has probably been one of the tougher years, if not the toughest year for me, on and off the court," Smith said recently. "Just part of the process I guess. I think it will just make the story better."