Blue Bloods star Vanessa Ray revealed this week that she and her husband Landon Beard adopted their first child, a baby boy, late last year.
The actress, 42, told PEOPLE on Thursday that their sonIsaac Ray Beard was born on November 7th and that the adoption was a 'whirlwind' for the couple.
She said that her co-star Peter Hermann 'graciously' helped walk them through the process as he and his wife Mariska Hargitay have two adopted children of their own.
After finding an attorney and preparing paperwork for a year, Ray and Beard were matched with Isaac's birth mother just four weeks before she was due to give birth.
'He kind of came into our life, it was quite a whirlwind,' she gushed.
Ray explained that her and Beard — who wed in 2015 — initially 'weren't totally sure if we were going to have kids' or if it made sense for them.
But that all changed when an 'overwhelming sensation of family' came over her on the set of the CBS drama.
Blue Bloods star Vanessa Ray revealed this week that she and her husband Landon Beard adopted their first child, a baby boy, late last year; the couple seen in 2018
The actress, 42, told PEOPLE on Thursday that their son Isaac Ray Beard was born on November 7th and that the adoption process was a 'whirlwind' for the couple; Ray seen in 2022
'I was at work one day, honestly I was about to do a family dinner and I just had this overwhelming sensation of family and what I love about our life and all of these things,' she recalled.
She then phoned Beard in tears and told him: 'Ithink we're supposed to be parents and I think we're supposed to adopt.'
Ray confided in her co-starBridget Moynahan about their decision to adopt and that the actress told her to reach out toHermann, who had a guest role on Blue Bloods.
Ray had yet to work with Hermann but that didn't stop the actor from giving the couple some guidance.
Hermann and Hargitay adopted two out of their three children.
The coupleadopteddaughterAmaya, now 12, in April 2011 and their son Andrew, now 12, in October 2011. They also share biological sonAugust, 17.
Ray recalled howHermann 'really held our hand and walked us through everything that we would need to know about adoption.'
She recalled him telling the couple that adoption is like 'a lot of first dates almost' and that there can be 'a ton of heartbreak that comes along with it.'
But for Ray and Beard, the process was a 'whirlwind' and wrapped up in just over a year.
After finding an attorney and preparing paperwork for a year, Ray and Beard were matched with Isaac's birth mother just four weeks before she was due to give birth
She said that her co-star Peter Hermann 'graciously' helped walk them through the process as he and his wife Mariska Hargitay have two adopted children of their own.The couple adopted daughter Amaya, now 12, in April 2011 and their son Andrew, now 12, in October 2011. They also share biological son August, 17
Ray explained that her and Beard — who wed in 2015 — initially 'weren't totally sure if we were going to have kids' or if it made sense for them. But that all changed when an 'overwhelming sensation of family' came over her on the set of the CBS drama
She explained that it took 'about a year' to get their affairs in order and then they were able to submit themselves to an adoption agency.
Just days later, Ray said they were flying to meet a potential birth mother.
'It went super fast. She was like, 'He's due in four weeks, so we have to do this quickly.' We were like, 'Whoa, okay,'' the actress recalled.
Ray revealed to PEOPLE that Isaac came a week early on November 7th.
She joked that her and husband 'attribute Isaac [to] ending' the SAG-AFTRA strike because he arrived one day before it wrapped after 118 days.
'It all happened in three weeks, really from zero to three weeks. Then we were bringing him out and it was incredible,' she gushed.
Ray and Beard had the support of their friends, who helped them put together a 'makeshift nursery' in just one day after they learned that Isaac would be their's.
Ray said that taking care of three-month-old Isaac has been a breeze because he 'loves to sleep and he loves to eat'; Ray seen in 2021
'We're just so focused on him right now,' Ray told PEOPLE. 'And just showering him with love and trying to absorb every single moment we can of his just littleness, his little life'; the couple pictured in December 2023
'I'm not kidding you, in 24 hours we had a makeshift nursery put together. A crib, pacifiers, bottles, Baby Brezza, all the things. We had everything that we needed from our friends,' she said.
'We didn't have to buy anything. We really didn't right away, at least for the first three months.'
They chose the name 'Isaac' — which means 'One who laughs or rejoices' — after Beard reminded her that she expressed her liking for the name over a decade ago while on a hike together.
'I guess that name has been with us for a long time. We never knew we'd ever have to use it and here we are. He is a lot of laughing and a lot of rejoicing,' she gushed.
Ray said that taking care of three-month-old Isaac has been a breeze because he 'loves to sleep and he loves to eat.'
'We're just so focused on him right now,' Ray told PEOPLE. 'And just showering him with love and trying to absorb every single moment we can of his just littleness, his little life.'
Ray joined the cast of Blue Bloods in 2013 during its fourth season on CBS. The show is currently in its 14th season.
