Having a baby changes everything. There is no way anyone can prepare you for the changes that come. Oh sure, people try to tell you, your friends with kids tell you. But until you’ve actually had your first child, there’s no way to fully understand how big the changes are. Like sleep deprivation for one, and then there’s the “I’ve got to work twice as hard now that I’m a father” thing because I have a child to support and a wife and child who depend on me now.

So all this was rattling around in my head that first week at home with Maggie and Layla. There wasn’t much I could do but welcome all the guests and friends and visitors that came by and prepare food and keep Maggie comfortable. There was a lot going on, and between nursing and diapering and waking up three times a night and everything else, well, it was dawning on me that this baby thing was big, really, really big.

I might as well have been a piece of furniture in the house as far as Maggie was concerned, as 100% of her focus was on Layla, which of course is natural, but still that was a bit of an adjustment.