When Messing lived in California and Hargitay and her family visited there, they bypassed fancy hotels in favor of sleepovers at Messing’s house. And when Messing recently moved back to New York to star in the NBC series Smash and chose Hargitay’s apartment building as her new home, Hargitay ordered 200 red balloons and one of the Statue of Liberty. They were aloft in Messing’s son Roman’s room when the family arrived, along with a note, “Welcome home, Roman.”

“You should have seen Mariska when we took the kids to Disneyland,” Messing says. “She was so happy about having everyone together and having a little time—well, I thought we’d go to bed at seven, but after dinner, Mariska was like, ‘Anyone want to go on more rides?’ Of course they did. And we did. And we watched the fireworks. We were up until 11:45 pm and had the time of our lives.”

After what seems a rather long time trying to conduct an interview under umbrellas held by giggly children who insist they can’t be seen, I am delivered when August and Lexi finally grow bored and scamper off. Hargitay returns her gaze to Amaya, looking at her with the hungry love of Raphael’s Tempi Madonna. I have the feeling the actress’s attention has been diverted, and my questions sound to her as if they are coming from far, far away.

Amaya gurgles and smiles and suddenly furrows her brow.

Hargitay furrows hers right back. Then she spins the infant around and sniffs her bottom. “Wow!” she says. “Excuse us.”

Amanda Robb wrote “To Hell with Inner Beauty” in the October issue of More. 

EXCLUSIVE! Read our interview with Mariska about her newly-adopted son, Andrew.

Check out our slideshow of Mariska through the years.

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