I’m learning some very important things in my first few weeks of motherhood.

1. Laura Creekmore was right. Don’t ever try Pampers, because you will realize they are the best diapers and then will be stuck buying them forever. Actually, I use cloth diapers whenever they are clean, and have encountered something similar with Fuzzi Buns cloth diapers — they are fabulous, and I keep wanting to buy more!

2. Just like my pets gave me a small taste of what it would be like to take care of children, they are now giving me a taste of sibling issues. Loa, our oldest “child,” misses the attention she used to receive and has been acting out since Ian arrived. She keeps hopping on kitchen counters and opening cabinets and eating toilet paper. Cameron, the middle “child,” is well-meaning but exhausts us with his neediness and chaotic activity.

3. I don’t check to make sure Ian is breathing as often as I thought I would. I check, but not as much as I expected.

4. Generally I can only get one task done each day, other than caring for Ian. Sure, I can get more done if don’t sleep when he sleeps, but then I turn into a crazy person. So for now, one task it is.

5. I still don’t know what I am doing. I think I am doing a pretty good job with this mom stuff, but wow, there is a lot to learn and a lot of decisions to make. For instance, I hate setting him in his crib when he is awake, but how else am I supposed to get dressed, eat lunch, etc.?

6. Baby smiles are the best thing in the entire world.