Our daughters sound remarkably alike. I too mainly lurk here and I have learned a tremendous amount from reading the stories of other parents who have been through it all. I often vacillate between thinking my kid is obviously gifted and thinking that I'm full of it.
We also recently looked at preschools, many of which boast about their academic curricula that teach the kids letters. I'm like OK, here's a child who taught herself the alphabet before 18 months, having her sit in a circle learning "B says buh" is not my idea of a good time. We did find a Montessori that aims to meet kids at their own level so I am now optimistic about preschool. And "play-based" schools have a lot to offer, but they don't seem common in my area.
But much like your daughter, mine is sensitive about being around large groups of kids. At a birthday party last weekend she complained that all the kids were "way too loud" so we'll see how she does with a classroom full of kids! And movies are out of the question, she gets upset at the slightest things.
Anyway, it was interesting to read about your daughter and see such similarities in a child who is the same age!
