Celebrity Moms: Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley with baby Naleigh

The latest issue of People Magazine has Katherine Heigl on the cover and includes a story about her recent adoption of her daughter, Naleigh.

 The Grey’s Anatomy star and her musician husband welcomed a beautiful 10-month-old baby girl, Naleigh, into their lives on September 10, 2009, after what’s been described as a whirlwind adoption.  After learning they learned they would become parents 6 months ago, they got their daughter much sooner than most adoptive parents do.  They were prepared for a long wait before getting their child, but because she is a special needs baby, they received her much sooner than expected.  According to Korean adoption expert Susan Soon-keum Cox, children with special needs, which could range from minor to serious medical attention or developmental disorders, “are not as easy to place,” which could explain the reason why the adoption went through so quickly.

Baby Naleigh, who is named after Heigl’s mom, Nancy, and her older sister, Margaret Leigh, also shares something in common with her new aunt: both were adopted from Korea, which is why adoption has always been something dear to Heigl’s heart.  Sources on the set of her new film, Life As We Know It, now filming in Atlanta, reveal Heigl to be a doting mother who refers to herself as “the Diaper Queen” because she has become a pro at quickly changing diapers.  Chandra Wilson, Heigl’s co-star on Grey’s Anatomy, also has high praise for Heigl’s maternal instinct, saying, “You couldn’t see someone more in love with their baby.”