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Did Hoda Kotb's Daughter Say "Hello"?

by Alana Romain

When you have an infant, it can be hard to imagine that one day, that little baby will be taking steps and saying all sorts of new words. But for TODAY show anchor Hoda Kotb, it might not actually be that difficult to envision. On Tuesday, Kotb and co-host Kathie Lee Gifford discussed what they did over the long Memorial Day weekend, and Kotb shared that she took her infant daughter to the beach for the first time. And in a funny video clip, Hoda Kotb's daughter Haley Joy said "hello" for the first time — or, at least, something that sounded like it!

During the segment, Kotb shared some personal photos from her family beach outing — she and Haley were joined by her partner, Joel Schiffman, her mom, Sami Kotb, and a number of other family members, according to The Daily Mail — and spoke about their fun day out. But that wasn't all she wanted to discuss: Kotb then admitted that she'd caught her daughter on camera possibly saying her first word. She said,

But, here's what's weird. Before we show this video, I think my child said 'hellooooo.' Now, you've seen the pre-game, please witness it for yourselves.

In the clip, the three-month-old baby can be seen cooing in her car seat, before babbling a word that sounded like a very drawn-out "hello." Gifford cracked up over the funny video, and proclaimed, "I think she did!" Kotb then explained that she had a theory that Haley may have learned her "first word" from Grandma. Kotb joked, "My mom says it! My mom always goes, 'Hellooooooo? My mom says that."

The 52-year-old first-time mom has been more than happy to share her baby joy with the world on social media following her daughter's birth on Valentine's Day. But on Kotb's first-ever Mother's Day, she opted instead to celebrate by bringing her daughter in for a surprise visit to the TODAY show.

According to People, Haley made her television debut on May 12, when Kotb brought Haley up to sit with her and her fellow co-hosts, Matt Lauer, Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, and Carson Daly. As they all gushed over the infant, Kotb took a moment to note the day's significance, and said, “I’m holding my baby on Mother’s Day weekend. I’m so happy.”

Back in February, Kotb shared the news that she'd adopted Haley Joy in a surprise announcement live on air. But it wasn't just a shock to viewers: even many of her colleagues were left in the dark prior to her call-in reveal. With a little help from Matt Lauer, whom Kotb had told about the adoption in advance, Kotb shared a photo of herself holding Haley Joy, and explained that the reason she'd be absent from the show recently was because she'd actually adopted the little girl.

Since then, Kotb has regularly gushed about life with her little girl, and it seems pretty clear that she's finding motherhood to be a lot of fun. And while it might still be a while before little Haley actually starts saying real words on purpose, it's fun at least to see her adorable (and hilarious) attempts.