Ishe Smith holds his son Ajani, 1, as wife LaToya holds Noelani, the newest addition to the family, on Tuesday in their Summerlin home. Latoya gave birth to Noelani -- with Ishe's help -- in the couple's garage on Friday. Photo by Jane Kalinowsky.

As a professional boxer, Ishe Smith is used to planning for all eventualities. So, when he learned his wife, LaToya, was pregnant with the couple's third child, the Las Vegas resident began to prepare to make the delivery the easiest of the three.

The Smiths' first daughter, 7-pound, 3-ounce Noelani, was born Friday, but neither Ishe nor LaToya is prepared to say the delivery was the simplest of the three.

The most memorable? Without question.

Noelani Smith, you see, was delivered by her father on the floor of the couple's garage at their Summerlin home.

As Ishe Smith was dressing his sons, Ishe Jr., 5, and Ajani, 1, and preparing them for the ride to University Medical Center, he was blissfully unaware that LaToya was on the verge of giving birth.

"Ishe messed with the camcorder the night before to make sure the battery was charged and he was getting that to bring with us," LaToya Smith said Tuesday. "I told him, 'Let's hurry.' And then he was getting our younger son a glass of juice. I said, 'I'm not sure you understand. We have to hurry.' The craziest things seem to happen to us, but I never thought this would happen."

After Ishe had strapped his sons into their seats in the back seat of the family's 2006 Dodge Magnum a little before 6 a.m. Friday, he saw his wife standing next to the car. He urged her to get in.

She stared at him, saying nothing. He urged her a second time.

"I had everything taken care of and all was perfect in my eyes," Ishe Smith said. "All she had to do was get into the car. But she was just looking at me."

LaToya Smith thought she had answered, but by that point, things were not perfect. She wasn't pushing but looked down and saw her daughter's head appear.

She desperately pleaded with Ishe to help.

Despite all the preparation, despite all the tough-guy mentality he developed as a fighter, Ishe Smith knew he was in trouble. He called 911 and a dispatcher walked him through the birth.

The Smiths had had their carpets cleaned a day earlier and Ishe had brought an area rug into the garage to dry. It was a blessing, both said, because LaToya wasn't forced to give birth on a dirty garage floor.

"I got over to her and the baby literally just came shooting out," Ishe Smith said. "I called 911 and the (dispatcher) was a little surprised, but she was so good. She was calm and she kept me calm. She just told me step by step what I needed to do. She made me step up my game."

Smith had his oldest son grab some towels to help. Following orders from the dispatcher, Smith neatly tied a shoestring around the umbilical cord.

"I wasn't sure how tight to tie it and where to tie it, and the last thing I wanted to do was to hurt her," Ishe Smith said.

But it turned out he tied it into a perfect little bow -- "It was like he was tying a piece of ribbon on the top of a present," LaToya Smith said -- and remained unusually calm throughout.

Until, that is, the dispatcher told him to grab the placenta. Then, all of a sudden he was very squeamish.

"Ishe's got a really weak stomach," LaToya Smith said, chuckling.

"She told me to grab it and I was like, 'Well, do I have to? It's slimy!' " Smith said to the dispatcher.

By the time the paramedics arrived, Noelani was in her mother's arms.

"Ishe Jr. keeps telling everyone that his baby sister was hatched in the garage," Ishe Smith said. "I have to keep reminding him that she wasn't hatched, she was born. But it was something none of us will ever forget. ... Someone definitely was looking out for us."