Katherine Heigl was "overcome with emotion" when she met her adopted baby daughter for the first time.
The '27 Dresses' actress and her singer/songwriter husband Josh Kelley were "bouncing off the walls with excitement and anticipation" as they waited to hear about Adalaide's birth last April.
And Katherine was reduced to tears when the child was placed in her arms.
Speaking in an interview with the UK edition of HELLO! magazine, Katherine said: "I don't cry easily or often but I'm not gonna lie, this was one of those moments where you can't help but be overcome with emotion. There were some tears and lot of giddiness and joy.
"The moment they put her in my arms I just felt an overwhelming sense of awe and wonder that this perfect little being was our daughter."
The couple also have another daughter, three-year-old Naleigh - who they adopted from South Korea in 2009 - and they waited to welcome Adalaide into their family until they felt it was the right time.
Katherine, 33, is a fierce advocate for adoption and is adamant there are no rules as to how you create your family.
She said: "I've always known I wanted to adopt and I fell in love with a man who was happy to have a family that included it ... I've never felt that there were any rules that applied to how you have a family."
Katherine's secret cross-US adoption of Adalaide was organised with the help of the family nanny, who sat several rows behind them on the flight home with the newborn to avoid suspicion.
Katherine and Josh - who met in 2005 when she appeared in his music video 'Only You' - are now "in negotiations" over how many more children to have.
She admitted: "I'd like two more, he thinks three's a nice number, so we'll see!"
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