Law & Order: Svu star Mariska Hargitay fought back tears on U.S. TV on Wednesday (18Apr12) as she recalled her recent adoption battles and "blessings".
The actress recently revealed she and her husband Peter Hermann were devastated when the biological mother of a baby they had adopted changed her mind but then overjoyed when little Amaya came into their lives after a six-month adoption process.
And now she's a mum again - to baby boy Andrew, who was an unexpected miracle.
Appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she explained, "We got a call out of nowhere from our lawyer who said, 'We have this amazing little boy and this amazing opportunity.' It was just one of those things that we were not expecting at all and my husband and I looked at each other and have never been more sure about anything, and knew it was just right.
"It all happened very quickly and that's not usually how it happens. I would say usually it takes the same amount of time it takes for a baby to grow in your belly. With my daughter, it took months and months and with my son it was... truth be told, it was two days."
But talking about the adoption process appeared a little overwhelming for Hargitay, who started to tear up.
She added, "It's pretty dreamy. Some days I just sit and pinch myself... It felt like nothing shy of a miracle. This year has been a year of true blessings."
Hargitay and Hermann are now parents of a five-year-old biological child, called August, daughter Amaya, who just turned one and little Andrew, who is nine months old.