When does it stop being so overwhelming? Hmmm, interesting question. Not so easy answers.  When they are in the NICU, we think, it will get easier, when they come home.  When they come home, we think, it will get easier when they start to walk and do things for themselves.  When they start walking, we think, it will get easier when they *catch up*....  It seems we just continuously exchange worries. 
When Taylor was a baby, our biggest worries were that of keeping him as healthy as possible, and about how delayed he was at reaching his *milestones*.  We worried what this meant for his overall *outcome*.  Would he ever really catch up?  Would we ever have a normal healthy, run of the mill child? His first year he was so frail, so weak, and yet fighting so hard.  He didn't do much his first year, didn't roll till just around a year, then sat up at 16 mo., finally crawled at 20 mo. What did it mean for a child who didn't walk till he was nearly two? 

Taylor just finished yet another round of evaluations.  More worries about what it means.  More worries about what his future will hold. Lots of tests, very little answers.  No crystal ball.  Mostly, the tests just confirmed what we really already knew.  That in many areas, Taylor is in fact gifted.  At five years, 6 mo, his visual cognitive level is accelerated, he reads at a second grade level, his math skills are about a year ahead, his non-verbal problem solving skills are accelerated, and he shows good beginning knowledge in science (the solar system is his current obsession), and geography (can most five yr olds identify all the continents and many countries?).  
And of course, paradoxically, the tests show that his verbal skills are delayed by about 18 mo, his fine motor skills are even further behind, about 2 to 2.5 yrs.  And his physical awareness is still in toddler range.
Basically we have a child that can type full sentences on a computer, but can not write his own name with a pencil. 
What does that mean for the future?  Well, he could become anything from the next Bill Gates, or he could depend on us the rest of his life.

Hmmmm interesting.. is that really any different than the projected outcome of a normal, healthy, run of the mill child?  Are the worries and questions of the future really that different for Taylor than they are for Travis.   No, not really... even with normal, healthy, run of the mill children... it gets overwhelming, we worry, and we question the future.

Tammy, Mom to:
Taylor (born at 28 wks, now 5 1/2 yrs.),
Taylor's id twin, and guardian angel - Alex,
and Travis (full term, now nearly 4 yrs.).
Wife to Gary (mostly out to sea).