Mariska Hargitay | Amaya & Andrew

On Law & Order: SVU, Mariska Hargitay has been used to coping with heartbreaking circumstances, but nothing compares to her harrowing experience of adopting twins. Hargitay and her husband, actor Peter Hermann, took in both their children, Amaya Josephine, now 13 months old, and son Andrew Nicolas, nine months, in a six-month span last year. Hargitay acknowledges that she and Hermann were worried about being able to have more children since she was 42 at the time of son August’s birth. She and Hermann started the adoption process a few years ago, consulting with an adoption lawyer and going through home inspections.

Hargitay and Hermann finalized the adoption plan and had Amaya. Although Hargitay and her husband were told the baby would be a son, they were overjoyed to learn they would be having a little girl. Initially, the pair had intended to wait around 18 months before adopting a second child, but fate intervened. They learned half a year later that their second adopted child, Andrew, was available for adoption. It seems like this couple is destined to be great parents!