BLUE BLOODS’ Vanessa Ray and her husband, Landon Beard, have just welcomed a baby boy!
“Isaac Ray Beard was born on November 7th and he kind of came into our life, it was quite a whirlwind,” she told PEOPLE. “My husband and I weren’t totally sure if we were going to have kids, at what point in our life that made sense and all those things. 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.”
The actress said she called her husband and said, “I think we’re supposed to be parents…I think we’re supposed to adopt.”
Ray shared her desire to adopt with BLUE BLOODS co-star Bridget Moynahan, who directed her to actor Peter Hermann, who had adopted two children with his wife, Mariska Hargitay.
“Graciously, he really held our hand and walked us through everything that we would need to know about adoption,” Ray said. “It’s a lot of first dates, almost. It almost feels like there’s a ton of heartbreak that comes along with it.”
While it took about a year to finish the paperwork to begin the adoption process, the couple was given very short notice when it came time to bring Isaac home.
“It all happened in three weeks, really from zero to three weeks. Then we were bringing him out and it was incredible,” Ray said.
The adoption process was so fast, most of Ray’s BLUE BLOODS co-stars were unaware she and her husband were doing it.
“I called Donnie right when [Isaac] was born,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “I said, ‘I have news for you,’ I was FaceTiming with him and Jenny [McCarthy], and he goes, ‘You’re pregnant!’ And I said, ‘Nope.’ And Jenny goes, ‘There’s a baby!’”
The actress shared that Isaac’s name was inspired by the biblical story of Sarah and Abraham, who had their son, Isaac, later in life.
“We’re just so focused on him right now,” Ray shared. “And just showering him with love and trying to absorb every single moment we can of his just littleness, his little life.”
In addition to celebrating this addition to her family, Ray is also marking the end of BLUE BLOODS.
“Still can’t believe how lucky I am to work on this incredible show with this cast and the best crew in NYC,” she wrote in an Instagram post announcing the final season’s premiere.
Movieguide® previously reported on Season 14 of BLUE BLOODS:
New set photos give fans a sneak peek of what they can expect from Season 14 of BLUE BLOODS.
The images include Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) going undercover and working with Hader (Aaron Abrams), siblings Erin (Bridget Moynahan) and Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) having a tense conversation and Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) talking with Mayor Chase (Dylan Walsh).
ScreenRant reported on some more Season 14 details, writing that Jamie’s undercover job will be “dealing with issues related to human trafficking,” while Frank is grappling with “where he stands with Mayor Chase.”
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