Nancy Leigh: Katherine Heigl Adopts Korean Baby Girl

LOS ANGELES — Katherine Heigl and husband Josh Kelley have completed their adoption of a baby girl from Korea.

Heigl spokeswoman Melissa Kates says the couple named the 10-month-old Nancy Leigh, after the actress's mother Nancy and her sister Margaret Leigh. The girl will go by the nickname Naleigh.

Kates says both parents and Naleigh are together and doing well. The couple is putting photos of their daughter up on , the Web site of Heigl's animal-rescue foundation. http://www.jasonheiglfoundation.org

Heigl plays Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and is currently shooting the film "Life as We Know It."

She and Kelley, a singer-songwriter, have been married since 2007.

Comments

[PresidentRobertBooth]

Foreign adopted babies are IN

[ConjureMan]

Stretch marks! We don't need no stinkin' stretch marks!

[Mirabai305]

You know, if the vanity of women lead to them adopting babies who need loving homes, I am all for it. There are already more than enough people on this planet. If Katherine's movie career deters her from adding to that population and simultaneously leads her to provide a loving home for an orphan of any race, I call it a win-win.

[cplKlyde]

Another successful closing by Baby Max

[laddieluv]

Beautiful pic.

Beautiful family.

I wish them only happiness and good fortune if for nothing else than the sake of that exquisite little girl.

And you haters?? Unclench. Go be nice to someone. It's healthier for ya.'

[st0ked]

Wow! You are so right! Be kind , it'll make everyone happier ! BE KIND. I know it's true , from my own experiences .

[lil11]

A sure shot way to get people's emotions out and commenting on site is to adopt a baby from a country other than the U.S. it seems. Josh Kelly's head is posed in such an uncomfortable position for this pix.

[slaxx]

awww....

[harriettubman]

I hope they expose that child to her culture with Korean play groups or organizations. I'm tired of seeing Americans adopting foreign born children and then indoctrinating them with nothing but their own ethnocentrism.

I know a couple who adopted an older Korean child and in a restaurant one day a waiter was speaking her language to her but she appeared ashamed. I told her mother she has to make her feel okay to relate to her culture here in the U.S. They're now working on that.

[Doc0976]

I wonder when we are going to see pictures of Will Smith's newly adopted Korean baby? Anyone care to address the elephant in the room here? Inequality in international adoptions? Hello??? Anyone out there?

As a black woman, I can only imagine the cross-eyed looks I would get if I attempted to adopt a baby from any Asian nation, or let alone a child that isn't black!

[sharonb01]

Very interesting point and thank you because I hadn't thought about it. Still, I don't think you should worry too much about cross-eyed looks other than to find them amusing. If you're like me, you're more likely to be stopped by lack of money than anything else, these foreign adoptions are costly.

[Two Cents]

I take your point about money--indeed, my understanding is that African-Americans are unable to adopt at the same rate as whites (adjusting for population differences) due to AfAm's financial profiles (generally speaking): even when African Americans are matched for income with whites, whites on average have more accumelated wealth. (That said, there is "informal" adoption in the community--namely, the extended family.) However, a black couple with a white child would not escape "cross-eyed looks" (or comment, for that matter) . . . from blacks and whites both--and perhaps more so than a white couple with a black child. Sooo, perhaps there is something about race even when socio-economic class is accounted for?

[Turtleposer]

If you want to adopt a Korean baby, by all means, go for it. Not everyone will be looking at you or your baby. Believe it or not, a lot of folks have other things on their minds.

[harriettubman]

I didn't know Will and Jada adopted a baby!

Foreign adoptions are usually based on how much you're wiling to spend. Even working class white folks who adopt must mortgage their homes and/or raise money to pay all those expenses. It is VERY costly too---over $50,000 and up.

Whites adopting Asians is better now because it's more accepted in their culture now. Years ago they got stares too. So silly.

[treegirl]

Although some means of adoption can cost over $50,000, that would be a very small percentage. It is more like 15K to 25K. There is a tax credit (not deduction) of 11K. Which basically refunds 11K of the amount you spent on the adoption. People do not bat an eyelash when people spend the same amount on a new (or used car). What is more important, folks? And for those people who say that you are "Buying a child", the costs are paid to many different agencies, governments, etc. For example, 2K to the adoption agency, 1K to US immigration, 2K for in-country document preparation, 1K for US document preparation, 3-5K for international travel, etc. The figures are not exact, I'm just estimating what I remember to make the point of what the ENTIRE process costs. And the costs are spread out over a 1-5 year period. There are also grants available.

[rzan1]

The once exception seems to be Nicole Ritchie, who isn't African American, and was adopted by Lionel Ritchie, but I think she was the child of friends of his.

[IB22]

congrats to katherine and josh!!! want to see josh kelley backing the bid for the 2016 olympics? check out this great interview with him and buddy ryan cabrera rapping (literally) about the olympics on www.aChicagoThing.com today!

[JerseyGirl4Obama]

Congratulations to the happy couple.

[HalfBakedSushi]

Incidentally, that picture of Ms. Heigl and Mr. Kelly just gives me the warm and fuzzies every time I look at it.

[nowarpleez]

I don't understand why these people go to foriegn countries to adopt children. There are tons of children right here in the USA that deserve and need good homes. This is so hypocritical.

[treegirl]

Please see my post, about 7 comments down.

[dengal]

I know one couple that was able to adopt here, out of 8. And the only way they pulled it off was to pay a surrogate.

Id question the system not the couple.

Some fo my friends went to china, some romania. All good parents with stable incomes.

[harriettubman]

1) Time: it takes a long time to wait for a healthy, white baby
2) Red tape: The paperwork takes too long too. Fill it out and wait years
3) Many white folks are going to countries where they can get a child with similar hair texture and skin color as theirs.

[elatas]

If you adopt a baby in the US, the rights of the biological parents are not immediately severed. They can change their mind and decide to keep the baby. Can you imagine how heartbreaking that is to take care of a baby and then have him taken from you? But if you go to international adoptions, you don't run that risk.

[TheMuckraker]

Who is going to care for the baby when her cancer kills her next week?

[StarDagger]

you clicked on the wrong blog, you wanted glen beck and stormfront.

get a life

[loria]

Do you watch Grey's Anatomy? I'm pretty sure it was sarcasm. I got it.

[ChiGuy]

Before you go off on Heigl for this, there's one important thing you should know:

While discussing this in an interview I watched about 2 weeks ago, she stated that she grew up with a Korean born adopted big sister Meg whom she adores, and that this was her little way of honoring her and their parents.

Knock her all you want for Grey's and her offstage remarks/attitude, but THIS, is a good thing.

[StarDagger]

She can adopt me, and I promise to drink all my (breast) milk!!!!

[StarDagger]

GUZZZLE!!!

[sharonb01]

Oh, awesome! The best argument for adoption is the number of adopted folk that turn around and adopt when they start their families. I've got a friend who has a six-pack of adopted grandkids and four born ones and he's happy as a pig - most of his brood were adopted and have now grown up and every one of his boys has adopted at least one. He claims his family tree looks like it went through the wood-chipper!

[Two Cents]

. . . very cool. :o)

[rayjoy]

I'm happy for them--I've never really been a fan of Katherine Heigl but Korea holds a special place in my heart after I lived there a year... I think it's great they decided to adopt a child from there as there are so many orphanages there with unwanted babies.