Famecrawler
Katherine Heigl Admits to Being an Obnoxious Parent
Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley have been busy adapting to life with daughter Naleigh, 20 months, who they adopted last September. The former Grey’s Anatomy star admits to being a bit anxious when it comes to their daughter. When she wasn’t walking by 17 months, they had a moment of parental panic.
“I think Josh and I started to get like those obnoxious parents that are a little, like, ‘What’s wrong with her? Why isn’t she walking yet? What are we doing wrong?’” Heigl tells US Weekly. ”Now we’re, like, pushing her all day: start walking! But I figured we’re probably fine. She’ll start walking.”
At the time of her adoption, Naleigh was considered a special needs child after undergoing open heart surgery as an infant due to a congenital heart defect.
For now, Heigl is looking at the benefits of Naleigh’s lack of mobility and focusing on her other milestones.
“[Then] I’ll be like, ‘Why can’t she sit down and play quietly in the corner?’” laughs Heigl.
While her parents wait for those precious first steps, Naleigh has been focusing on another milestone – talking. ”She is starting to talk a little bit more,” Heigl says. “She says Dada all the time. Of course that was her first word… She points at me and says ‘Dada’ too. She thinks anyone she loves is Dada. I will her to say Mama!”
She even has her own personal catch phrase. Heigl adds, “She goes, ‘Oh yeah’ all the time.. I think Josh and I do that a lot when we talk about things and she picked it up.”
Photo: PR Photos
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1 Comment
chdadvocate commented on Aug 11 10 at 8:30 amMost parents experience the same anxiety as another developmental milestone approaches. However, parents of children with a chronic disease, such as a congenital heart defect experience these times with increased intensity, since for many, there is a great likelihood that their child will be delayed in meeting that milestone, or may not even survive until the next one. Heart defects are not cured with surgery. They are a lifelong disease. Even though the press doesn’t seem to realize it, I certainly hope Heigl does. There are many great organizations out there with more information:
Mended Little Hearts
Children’s Heart Foundation
Adult Congenital Heart Association
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