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"I'm deliriously happy. From the minute she was born, she was just surprisingly alert and so full of love." - Mariska Hargitay on the birth of her adopted child, Amaya Josephine Hermann.

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Amaya Josephine Hermann was adopted by actors Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann in 2011.  Hermann and Hargitay had been looking to adopt another child for years. After many meetings and much deliberation, the SVU co-stars settled on Amaya, a child who had been born in a section of the United States that has not been revealed, due to privacy concerns. 

While Amaya is still just eight-years-old, there really isn't much to be known about the young girl. However, her parents have a romantic story that would fit right in on the silver screen. Today, we are going to explore the relationship between Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay while learning a little bit about the newest member of their family.

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An Unexpected Surprise

Amaya Josephine Hermann was born approximately on April 2nd, 2011, to unknown parents. Immediately put up for adoption, Amaya was never raised by anyone other than Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay. In fact, both Peter and Mariska had been in the delivery room during the birth, showing that the process had been rigorously planned out. With that being said, the Hermann-Mariska family is actually unique in the surprising way the rest of their family has come together.

Amaya is the middle child of the Hermann household, though she is not the only adopted child. In September of 2011, Peter and Mariska lost a close family friend. While they were mourning, they were approached by a lawyer who told them that their friend had a son, Andrew. Andrew had been born premature and, at the time, was only two-months-old. Peter and Mariska adopted Andrew shortly after adopting Mariska. Andrew's biological mother consented to the adoption, though little is know about who she is or why she agreed to the process.

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Peter and Mariska have one biological child between them, August Miklos Friedrich Hermann. August was born on June 28, 2006, via an emergency c-section. Mariska had August at 42-years-old and there had been health complications during the birth. Fortunately, both mother and child ended up okay.

Family of TV Stars

While Amaya may have been the reason that you are reading this post, Peter Hermann and Mariska Hargitay are the reason that you know her name. Peter and Mariska are two famous television actors with a host of credits to their name. Hermann has been acting since 1997, and he has appeared in several high-profile projects including Law & Order, Sex and the City, Guiding Light and Blue Bloods. Conversely, Mariska has been in her own intense selection of major projects, including her iconic role as Detective Benson in Law & Order. More than just two accomplished actors, Peter and Mariska have a fascinating love story to share with the world.

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It was August 28, 2004, when Mariska and Peter got married. However, their relationship had gotten its start much earlier than that. Hermann has had a recurring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 2002 as attorney Trevor Langan. Hermann has appeared in 32 episodes as the actor, which put him right in front of Mariska over, and over, and over again. The two met while working on set and a romance was quick to blossom between them. After a couple of years dating, Mariska and Peter would tie the knot. 

Peter and Mariska have been dating for over 17 years at this point. Their family continues to grow, and they both continue to appear on various Law & Order programs. While Mariska is undoubtedly the larger star of the two, it is clear that they were a match made for each other.  Averse to controversy and low-profile enough to avoid the spotlight, it can be hard to find news about Mariska and Peter. With that being said, we do know a little bit about them.

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For Mariska, the choice to pursue adoption was not one that was made lightly. In fact, due to Hargitay's own painful past, being a mother means more to her than most other people. Hargitay lost her biological mother when she was still a child. Hargitay and Hermann went through the adoption process multiple times, always being stymied at the last moment. Finally, they became parents to Amaya. Amaya's name can be translated to 'Princess' or 'Warrior' depending on how you look at the word. Hargitay's decision to not only adopt Amaya but to also be there for the delivery was obviously one that had not been made lightly.