Katherine Heigl & Hubby Opt for Adoption

Actress and Josh Kelley are planning to adopt a baby girl from Korea

By Natalie Finn Sep 10, 2009 2:40 AMTags

Katherine Heigl's family tree is sprouting a new limb.

The Grey's Anatomy star, whose impending hiatus makes so much more sense now, is planning to adopt a baby girl with her singer-songwriter hubby Josh Kelley.

Congratulations to the parents-to-be!

In a sit-down with Ellen DeGeneres, airing tomorrow on Ellen, Heigl says that their child, whom they've only seen pictures of so far, is from Korea and will be 10 months old at the end of the month. They have named her Naleigh.

"I just dropped that one," Heigl said of the name, which she says is a hybrid of her mom's and sister's names, Nancy and Leigh. "Anyway, I'm sure that's fine. We have to meet her first."

"She was actually born the day before me in November, which I thought was really serendipitous and just kind of like a sign," Heigl said. "I realized just recently that I basically forfeited my birthday for the rest of my life."

Heigl goes on to talk about filling out the "superdetailed" 40-page adoption pamphlet and why she has always known that adoption was the right choice for her.

She and Kelley first found out about Naleigh six months ago. "She is a special-needs baby, and because of that it all moved so much faster," Heigl said. "They wanted to get her to us as quickly as possible."

"It's been a big part of my life and my family," the 30-year-old actress continued. "My sister is Korean and my parents adopted her back in the '70s, and so I just always knew that this is something I wanted to do."

"I just wanted to make sure that I was marrying a guy who understands that this was going to have to happen," she continued. "So about a year ago is when we said, 'OK, let's start the process,' and the process is intense. It's different, but it isn't, do you know what I mean? It's just as intense I'm sure to have a baby biologically, because you're going through the whole physical sort of thing of it."

Heigl has said that her role in Knocked Up made her extra enthusiastic about the idea of adoption.

"I've always planned to adopt anyway, but that definitely reinforced my want to," she told USA Today in 2007. "I'm done with the whole idea of having my own children. Doesn't seem like any fun. I don't think it's necessary to go through all of that."

But the idea of kids was always a definite yes.

"I'm superexcited to have a family," she told Extra right before she got married. "I've always wanted a family, a large family. [We'll wait] like, a year."

Heigl and Kelley swapped vows on Dec. 23, 2007, in Park City, Utah.

And here they are, planning for a lifetime.

—Additional reporting by Lindsay Miller

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Aside from wanting to hear the pitter-patter of little feet, Heigl was obviously jonesing for a spot in our Hollywood's Hottest Moms gallery. Duh!