Both our boys were also active and holding their heads up in the hospital. This seemed interesting, but didn't really register as GT to me with either boy until I started frequenting this forum and discovered that it is a pretty sure sign of GTness...
With DS7, the first time I knew he was more than just a little bright was when he was about 8mos. old and was banging his Hot Wheels car on the wall.
I said "no," and he stopped immediately. He thought for a second (thumb in his mouth!), changed hands and banged again. I said "no." He again sucked his thumb the way he did when he was studying something, and this time rolled it on the wall. Another "no." Changed hands and rolled on wall. "No." Banged on the floor with one hand and then the other...two more "no" responses.
Finally he rolled the car on the floor. I said, "Yes!" and he never again pounded the car or rolled it on the wall. It was amazing to watch!
I've had people talk about this scene as his "testing" me, as if this was perfectly normal toddler behavior. But it was utterly clear to me even at the time that what he was doing was--without language!--reasoning out the rule and its limits. As if that level of logic in an 8mo. is not amazing enough, he then followed the rule perfectly from that point on!
Discipline has always been unbelievably simple with DS7, provided he's not hungry or overtired.
DS4 has been trickier to ID. He was a very verbal kid quite early on--before 1yo, he spoke in paragraphs! And he was always physically precocious (which I attribute to having to keep up with big bro!). And of course, there are his OEs, which are legendary!
But there was never anything definitive, never any moment like that one I had with DS7 where I thought, "Oh, this kid is really, REALLY smart!
"
Really, the first moment was probably just the past couple of weeks with the math stuff. And even then, I doubt myself about it...
(Yes, let me have it, LMom and 'Neato! I already know what you're going to say!!! :p )
