Gifted Baby

Every time Lola turns another month old, I open up my copy of What To Expect The First Year and read about, well, what we can expect that particular month. Each month has a list of what your baby should be able to do, will probably be able to do, will possibly be able to do, and may even be able to do. Up until now Lola hit most of the should be able tos and a few from each of the other categories. But this month? She hit ALL of the shoulds, ALL of the probablys, and three (out of 8) of the may evens!! That's some serious development!

So then I started looking ahead. What falls into the may even be able to category next month and the month after? I wanted to know what we could start getting excited about and looking forward to. And thats when I stumbled onto a little section of info in the Seventh Month chapter entitled Is My Baby Gifted?

Ha! A gifted baby, the thought made me chuckle. I mean, doesn't everyone think their baby is gifted? But I was curious to see what actually qualified a baby as such. And its actually quite interesting. Here is the list:

1. Uniformly advanced development (ahem, see above note).

2. Good memory and powers of observation - apparently gifted babies notice "when daddy has a new coat" or anything else that differs from their normal experience of things. They give the ever so random example of a baby observing "grandpa wearing a patch on his eye after surgery"...like, what? I should hope a baby has some sort of reaction to grandpa wearing an eye patch, gifted or not!

3. Creativity and originality such as finding a unique way to get to a toy they want or even playing pretend.

4. Sense of humor - "laughing at the incongruities in life, like daddy tripping over the dog and spilling his juice." Well, I don't get the sense that Lola laughs at our misfortunes but boy is she smiley these days:

5. Curiosity and concentration - includes persistence to explore what they are curious about. 

6. Ability to make connections - "sees relationships between things and will apply old knowledge to new situations."

7. Rich Imagination 

8. Difficulty sleeping - apparently gifted babies are too busy thinking, observing, learning, and processing their world to waste time sleeping. ...Never mind I don't want a gifted baby after all.

9. Perceptiveness and sensitivity - could even "try to cheer up a crying sibling."


I think that's all so fascinating. And ever since I read that little bit combined with Kate saying that she really does think Lola is a bright little baby, I've been noticing more and more the things that she does that indicate her engagement with the world around her.

Do I really believe Lola is gifted? No, not really (okay sorta a little I do). What I really believe instead is that everything that Lola does is something to be interested in. Whether its advanced development or a simple bodily function (like a loud, relieving fart) I am equally and immensely proud and love seeing how many new things she adds to her repertoire each day.

Lola has become my own personal case study. My way to marvel at life and revel in the minuscule and minute details of development. I am not the most observant of people but Lola has taught me to stop and look, to see, to study so that I've noticed myself growing more observant by the day.

The gifts just keep on comin' with this kid!

So yes, Lola is my bright star, regardless of whether she is in fact intellectually brighter than any single baby her age. And I'll tell you one thing I know for sure, without a doubt: she is definitely gifted in the cuteness department. Undeniable evidence below: