Image Source: People.com

Mariska Hargitay, 57, is a doting mother to three kids, two out of which are adopted. The NBC drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actress shares her kids with Husband Peter Hermann and has been together since 2004. 

The famous actress, daughter of bodybuilder and actor Mickey Hargitay, and actress Jayne Mansfield have been active in the TV and film world for a long time. She made her acting debut in the 1985 horror-comedy film Ghoulies. She is today known as Olivia Benson, the police captain in Law and Order: SUV. 

Peter Hermann has worked alongside Mariska in the police procedural drama Law and Order: SUV as Trevor Langan and is famous for his role as Charles Brooks in Younger. The couple is parents to three beautiful kids: two sons and a daughter. They first welcomed their son just about two years into their marriage and then followed their daughter and eventually another son. 

Image source: Hollywood Life

The two actors share a son, August Miklos Hermann, 15, daughter Amaya Josephine Hermann, 10, and son Andrew Nicholas Hermann, 9. The younger two kids were welcomed into the Hermann household through adoption after Mariska had a difficult pregnancy and delivery upon her first time with a baby. 

The extremely devoted mother couldn't be happier with her family dynamics and is proud to be parent three kids. During an interview with People in 2018, Mariska gushed how motherhood had made her a better person and that she listens closely to her kids to evolve on a better level.

She said, "The thing that's made me a better parent is my kids because they taught me to really listen. My husband is my North Star, and my kids are my teachers." 

Read on further to more about the three young Hermann kids!

August Miklos Hermann

Image source: Hollywood Life

The oldest son in the household, the new addition, came into the family on June 28, 2006, about two years into the marriage of Mariska and Peter Hermann. The beautiful boy August entered into the couple's life with his own shares of difficulties as Mariska had to undergo an emergency caesarian for the delivery. The actress had to eat a lot during the shoots of Law and Order: SUV to maintain her energy. Hence, she had developed gestational diabetes in her third trimester. 

But the difficulties aside, Mariska gave birth to a healthy and happy boy whom the couple named August. Talking about her pregnancy and the delivery a year later with the Self Magazine in 2007, Mariska said, "Nobody wanted to be pregnant more than me. From the minute I found out, I was wearing full-on maternity pants. My stomach was totally flat, mind you, but I was just so excited." 

August can usually be seen on outings with his parents, and Mariska tries to make as much time for her kids as she can. The couple was spotted in August at the CMEE (Children's Museum of the End) Family Fair. The happy family picture showed Peter with a Boa Constrictor wrapped around his neck while Mariska clicked pictures of her husband and son. 

Image source: Hollywood Life

Telling about the envy she feels on missing normal moments with her kids, Mariska explained: "I get jealous that other people get to take August to school and pick him up. It's hard for me to go to his school and not know all the parents. They all know one another, and it's a community. I can't always be a part of that. You can't have everything, though."

Amaya Josephine Hermann

Image source: Hollywood Life

Following the scares that Mariska and Peter Hermann had to experience during the first pregnancy of the couple, they were hesitant to try for the second time. However, the mother still wanted more children and soon decided that adoption was the way forward for them. The couple visited Africa for adoption and adopted their second child, Amaya Josphine Hermann. 

Mariska said that the adoption was a surreal experience as she got to attend her daughter's birth and herself delivered the baby. She disclosed the details of Amaya's birth during a Good Housekeeping interview in 2012: "I basically pulled Amaya out. Peter and I held her, and then the birth mother and I hugged for a long time. That was profound. That was one of the most meaningful moments I've ever had in my life."

Andrew Nicholas Hermann

Image source: Hollywood Life

In the same year, 2011, Mariska and Peter adopted their second son, Andrew Nicholas Hermann. The child was introduced into the household in October 2011. The adoption notice came the same day as the death of the couple's friend Andrew. The Hermanns' lawyer informed them of the death along with the news that a baby was in need of adoption. The couple quickly latched onto the opportunity and brought home the child in just two days.  

Talking about her third child with Good Housekeeping, Marica said: "It was like…a miracle. And I don't use that word lightly. I've never made a bigger decision so quickly. The whole thing happened in a total of two days." The Hermanns decided to call their youngest son Andrew, naming him after their deceased friend. 

The couple faces their own struggles with bringing up three kids, and the experience is not rainbows and sunshine always. Mariska said that she experiences her own share of difficulty: "It's a lot, but that's what you do. That's life. You've gotta go with it. The highs are high, and the lows are low." She also added, "Our family is so perfect, or at least perfect for me. Together we're just this whole happy, joyful, chaotic, crazy unit. I've never known anything that was more right."