In an interview with Matt Lauer that aired Tuesday on TODAY, Sandra Bullock talks about her "little Cajun cookie" -- son Louis, the value of good friends and her involvement with the Warren Easton Charter High School in New Orleans. Bullock said that finalizing the adoption of Louis was a long process, but that she wanted to follow the normal procedures. "I did not circumvent," Bullock told Lauer. "I wanted to do everything exactly the same way everyone else did. And -- it was -- he was always mine, you know. It wasn't like I felt like someone was going to take him away. But it was nice to have someone say, I think you're a fit parent. ... I think, everything works out the way the universe wants it to work out." And while the Oscar-winning actress said she didn't care whether the child she was ultimately placed with was a boy or a girl, she was pleased to add a son to her family.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
"We don't have any boys in our family. Boy, is everyone really happy about that. So, he's like the crown prince. You know, it's nothing but girls in our family," Bullock said. "I mean, my cousin in Germany has one son -- no boys. Can you imagine how miserable our father is? I mean, every pet was female. But it was just the hierarchy that needed to be broken." Bullock managed to keep the long adoption process out of the public eye until she announced it in April. She attributes that to having a strong circle of friends and family with "massive amounts of integrity." "I read something like, how did someone keep a secret, and it's -- you know-- human beings exist that have integrity that know how to keep their mouth shut. That know the bigger picture, that don't sell out their friends," Bullock said to Lauer. "Those people are all over the place. But again, we don't like to talk about it, because it doesn't sell a magazine. But I was blessed with the same friends I've had since before things got really special for me and blessed in life." Slideshow: The life and career of Sandra Bullock Bullock conducted the interview with Lauer from the Warren Easton Charter High School, alongside school board member Arthur Hardy. Bullock helped to raise funds for a new health clinic on the campus of the school. Bullock has been a longtime supporter of the school and initially "cold-called" Hardy to tell him she wanted to lend a hand. "She knew what we were all about," Hardy told Lauer. "And I think -- had done enough work to know we were the real deal. And then, once she came and met the kids, it was all over. I didn't have to sell anybody." Bullock, who has a home in New Orleans and is a regular visitor to the city, got involved because she was drawn to the work Hardy and the rest of the board were doing to establish the school in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. "They did it with such power and love and integrity. Integrity. There's so much integrity here. And I've never been around that much integrity," Bullock said.