Five pounds, ten ounces. That is what Leighton Drew Bolden weighed when she arrived on November 3, 2023 — 19 inches of what her mom called “pure sweetness” on Instagram. Three years later, they stood in a dim ultrasound room watching a second baby kick and flutter on a grainy screen — and the road between those two rooms is the real story.
November 2023: Five Pounds, Ten Ounces of Pure Sweetness
Leighton’s arrival was announced exclusively with PEOPLE. The couple, together since 2019, had waited years for that moment. But Liz was already thinking ahead: “One more try for a little person is what I tell him,” she said of Brice.
The Plan They Made Out Loud: Two Kids, Then Done
By February 2025, the plan had a shape. Liz told Access Hollywood they would try again when Leighton was two or three, so she could be more “independent” as a big sister. Brice had a hard number in mind: “Two kids. Give her a sibling and call it done.” First came the wedding — Liz and Brice married on November 8, 2025, at their fall wedding at the Johnston family home in Forsyth, Georgia, Leighton as flower girl, weeks after losing Trent’s mother, Nana.
March 10, 2026: Leighton Is Going to Be a Big Sister
On March 10, 2026, the couple told PEOPLE baby number two was due in early fall. “We’re so thrilled to announce that Leighton will be becoming a big sister early fall of 2026,” they said. They marked it with an outdoor photo shoot — three of them now, Liz holding the sonogram.
The wait that followed came with worry. Liz has achondroplasia, and each pregnancy carries a 50 percent chance of a baby with dwarfism, according to reports. Like her first delivery, this one would be a scheduled C-section under general anesthesia — and in the Season 18 trailer, Brice admits he is “not sure what to do” if something goes wrong.
The Ultrasound Room: A Heartbeat, a Flutter, a Sigh of Relief
Then came the appointment that changed the mood of the pregnancy. In the ultrasound clip PEOPLE shared, Brice watches the screen like a man memorizing it. “I love seeing our baby on the ultrasound. You know, kicking [and] fluttering,” he says. Sonographer Gina’s report: the placenta was moving, the baby growing healthy, the heartbeat strong. Liz summed up the visit in one line — “a big sigh of relief.”
YOU MAY LIKEEverything We Know About 7 Little Johnstons Season 18 — Wedding Bells, New Homes, and One Big Question MarkThe relief only lands if you know what Liz carried in. “This whole pregnancy with how crappy that I’ve been feeling, my mind has just been set on ‘Oh man, this baby’s probably little,’” she admitted. Then came the answer they had hoped for: a boy. “As great as Leighton is, we were always talking about wanting her to have a little brother,” Brice explained. One fan summed it up: “A little boy for Brice and a big girl for Liz. Perfect.”
September 8: Coleman Brice Bolden Jr. — and a Family of Four
Coleman Brice Bolden Jr. arrived on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, with the news shared exclusively with TODAY. “We’re so happy to have Coleman here and to be home together as a family of four,” the couple said. Liz’s Instagram post closed the journey: “Coleman Brice Bolden Jr. — 09/08/2026. Our family is complete, with this happy handsome bundle of joy.” Coleman was named after a paternal great-grandfather — and Brice, of course. Three days later, TLC made it official: “Officially a family of four!”
Season 18 premieres Tuesday, November 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, picking up the pregnancy journey — viewers will walk into that ultrasound room already knowing how it ends. For the full countdown, here are the eight dates leading to the premiere.
So when Tuesday’s premiere replays that ultrasound room, which moment will hit you hardest — the heartbeat that let Liz breathe, or the second Brice learned Leighton was getting the little brother he had hoped for?
