That’s not the problem. I think I encountered the issue @jmooring described in this post because I am using an iteration of the multipage posts.
Edit: I just found a way around it. I set a higher number of pagination in the configuration file which applies to the custom layout(s). Then I added a limit (using first) to the default layout’s pagination sequence with a lower number.
Edit 2: I spoke too early! The first command skips posts that are the difference between the number set in the config and the first command. So, if paginate in config is 15 and first is 10, it skips 5 posts per page!
Edit 3: I followed the base layout in the example in Joe’s link. I split my header file code above into various conditions, then assigned the pagination integer for each.