Isa-
LOL, it's normal for my kids, they all have craved near-constant interaction since birth. I think they just have a tremendous need for "input".
And yes, it is also common for gifted preschoolers to have imaginary friends. My son had a whole slew of them between age two and four, and they had umm, very interesting names. When he didn't need them anymore, he killed them off; telling us that Poopy and Mustard got run over,Daisy got sick and died, etc. I wasn't sure if I should go running for the shrink at that point, but he was very cheerful and had no other signs of crisis.
