Costar Sharon Lawrence: Katherine Heigl Will Be a Great Mom

By Shawna Malcom

09/14/2009 at 01:00 PM EDT

With word now out that Katherine Heigl is adopting a baby girl, Sharon Lawrence, who played Heigl's mother on Grey's Anatomy last season, has high praise for the soon-to-be parent.

"It's so inspiring," Lawrence told PEOPLE at the Governor's Ball following Saturday's Creative Arts Emmys, where she was nominated for outstanding guest actress in a drama for her Grey's guest spot. "I know she'll be a great mom."

According to Lawrence, Heigl, 30, possesses several qualities that make her a natural. "When I was working [on Grey's], I watched her multitask, creating the career that she wants and supporting her lovely husband [musician Josh Kelley], who was on set, and her connection with her own mother," she said. "Katie is a very modern woman who will pursue her passions and not feel limited by anything, and I think that bodes well for her motherhood."

While Lawrence hasn't yet spoken to Heigl, "her mother and I are in contact," says the actress, who will appear on the upcoming season of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm as a doctor. "Katie as a mom is the kind of gal that makes me feel good about the future," she says. "She is smart and happy and free of constraints of 'Oh, I should do this, I shouldn't do this.' For her, motherhood's [going to be] like knife in butter. She'll [set] a great example for that little girl."