Katherine Heigl [1] has been in the spotlight for the better part of two decades, so we've gotten to learn quite a bit about her three children, Naleigh, Adalaide, and Joshua. The actress has let fans take a peek at her growing family life, from her and husband Josh Kelley's adoption of Naleigh [2] back in 2009 to the birth of Joshua in 2016. All three kids are regulars on Heigl's social media [3], as she shares sweet pictures, funny videos and captions [4], and thoughtful posts about what it means to be a mother and to be a family. If you're curious to know more about her family, now's your chance — keep reading to learn more about all three of her kids!
Nancy Leigh "Naleigh" Kelley
Naleigh, born November 23, 2008, is Heigl and Kelley's oldest child. According to People, Naleigh's adoption was something particularly special to Heigl: she was born in South Korea [5], like Heigl's sister Meg. "I wanted my own family to resemble the one I came from, so I always knew I wanted to adopt from Korea [6]," Heigl told Scholastic. "We have talked about having biological children as well, but we decided to adopt first. I just wanted to be a mom. So however we do that, it's fine with me. I'd like to adopt again."
Now 12 years old, Naleigh's first year of life was spent dealing with some scary health problems, including a congenital heart defect. "Her heart is 100 percent fine now [7]," Heigl told Harper's Bazaar in May 2010. "A lot of children don't find forever homes because they're on that special-needs list, even if it's because of something as simple as her mother smoked cigarettes for a month, not knowing she was pregnant. That's not so huge that you couldn't handle it."
Adalaide Marie Hope Kelley
Adalaide, who Heigl and Kelley adopted in 2012, was adopted from within the US [8], according to People. She joined sister Naleigh and, since then, the sisters have appeared together on Heigl's social media on a pretty regular basis.
"We started the adoption process again and we thought we were gonna adopt internationally [9]," Heigl said on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno [10], according to USA Today. "And then we started exploring because we had heard that Korea had gotten very hard to adopt from, and China had a very, very long waiting list and I was like, any day now . . . And so we started exploring the idea of domestic adoption — just exploring — and then my lawyer called and said, 'There's a birth mother and she's due in four weeks and she's all yours if you want her.'" Adelaide soon joined the family, and the rest is history!
Joshua Bishop Kelley, Jr.
Born on Dec. 20, 2016, Joshua Bishop Kelley is the family's youngest child and only son. He's also the only one of his siblings who didn't join the family through adoption, and he's named after his dad.
"Naleigh and Adalaide could not be more excited to welcome their new sibling into the fold, and Josh and I are overflowing with joy and gratitude [11]," Heigl said in a statement to People. Since then, toddler Joshua has been a regular presence on social media, with a big smile and lots of joy to share!