Name: Nancy Leigh ‘Naleigh’ Kelley
Date of Birth: November 23, 2008
Parents: Katherine Heigl & Josh Kelley
Siblings: Little sis’ Adalaide
Facts:
♥ Naleigh was born in South Korea
♥ She was adopted by her parents in 2009
♥ Her parents were able to adopt Naleigh so quickly because she was deemed “special needs” because she had a congenital heart defect
♥ She was named after Katherine’s mother & sister
♥ Naleigh was unable to leave South Korea until she had open heart surgery, which she underwent with no complications in 2010
♥In April 2012, Naleigh became a big sister when her parents adopted Adalaide Marie Hope Kelley
Quotes:
“Josh and I started talking about [adoption] before we were even engaged. My sister Meg is Korean, and my parents adopted her three years before I was born. I wanted my own family to resemble the one I came from, so I always knew I wanted to adopt from Korea.” – mama Katherine on her reason behind adopting her first daughter.
“People are always talking about the strong bond between mother and daughter, this magical connection – but we didn’t have that. [The early days with Naleigh were] the hardest time in my lifeI fought incredibly hard for my daughter to accept me as mother. Her rejection almost broke my heart. At first I blamed myself and thought I was a bad mother. It took a while before I could admit to myself that the lack of trust had nothing to do with me.” – Katherine on the difficulties she faced bonding with her new daughter.
“She is doing great. She’s the cutest girl in the world. She loves to sing and loves when dada reads her books.” – papa Josh on his eldest daughter.
