Sandra Bullock adopts 3-year-old foster daughter Laila

Sandra Bullock has indeed adopted a second child — a little girl named Laila.

The Oscar winner introduced Laila, a 3½-year-old from Louisiana whom she fostered, on the cover of People on Wednesday.

Bullock, 51, who covertly adopted her son Louis, now 5, at the height of awards season in 2010, has been fiercely protective of her daughter’s privacy during the process and even during the reveal.

In the mag’s cover image, Laila is actually turned around so viewers can only see the back of her head -- and her adorable pigtails. Bullock also only partially exposed her children’s faces in the family photo album touted by the mag. (The images were shot by Bullock’s beau, photographer Bryan Randall.)

“I can tell you absolutely, the exact right children came to me at the exact right time,� the “Gravity� star, who is working to bring attention to the more than 400,000 children currently in U.S. foster care, told People.

People’s most beautiful woman of 2015 has been family-focused for several year, appearing in few projects and taking on only those that allow her the most time with her kids.

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With an Oscar win and many feature films on her resume, actress Sandra Bullock has only stepped up the ladder of success since her TV movie days. Here’s a look at the career highlights of one of Hollywood’s biggest female stars.

By Andrea Wang / Los Angeles Times

  (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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Bullock first staked a spot under the Hollywood spotlight playing Annie Porter, a civilian turned hero, in this critically acclaimed action-thriller. When costar Keanu Reeves boards the bus to address a bomb threat, Bullock finds herself essential in the capture of a rogue ex-police officer.  (Richard Foreman / Handout)

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Bullock joined forces with comedy actress Melissa McCarthy to revamp the buddy cop genre with “The Heat.â€� In the critically acclaimed movie, Bullock again displays her tomboyish charm as uptight FBI agent Sarah Ashburn.  (Gemma La Mana / Associated Press)

“The Heat� star began the process three years ago.

It’s been “very much like witness protection,� she said. Since Laila was a foster child, Bullock was obligated to keep her identity under wraps, even back in October when paparazzi photos surfaced of the two of them making an emergency room trip to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in late September.

“Unbeknownst to me, a photographer had followed us and taken a photo of us in line,� Bullock told People. “The next day, I learned that a photo of her was being shopped around for sale to every outlet around the world. I had promised and legally agreed to protect her from something like this, and here I was chasing down lawyers — having them begging them to keep her safe.�

As she was promoting “Our Brand Is Crisis� in October, the actress shut down the adoption rumor with a craftily worded statement to the Associated Press that didn’t even allude to her foster care situation.

“There’s only one adopted child in my household and his name is Louis,� she told AP. “If I had an adopted child -- if I had a second adopted child -- everyone would be hearing about it. I would be loud and clear and say, ‘Yes, I have officially adopted a second child.’ Right now, Louis must be it.�

And here she is now, officially proclaiming it to the world.

Follow me on Twitter @NardineSaad.

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