There?s a line of unsolicited advice?usually offered by smug parents of multiple kids who are a little too eager to share their hard-earned wisdom?guaranteed to make any new mom seethe: Cherish the newborn stage, because if you think this is hard, just wait until they?re older.
I remember some of my friends and family imparting these exact words of guidance as they cooed over my freshly-birthed firstborn. Meanwhile, I was leaking several bodily fluids into an adult diaper, had maybe slept three hours over the past two days, and I had just cried hot tears of frustration because I couldn?t figure out how to tie my Moby wrap. It was not what I wanted to hear. 
At the time, I couldn?t wait for the newborn phase to end. I counted the days until my son would turn three months old, because I?d heard that was when things might get easier. And, in some ways, they did. I no longer had to set a timer for all those relentless feedings, and we all got used to the rhythms of life at home with a baby.  But when I had my second child three years later, I truly cherished those cuddly, hazy, exhausted newborn days. Why" Because I had now become one of those smug parents of multiple kids?and I knew they were right: If you think this is hard, wait until they?re toddlers.
Here are five reasons parents of newborns should cherish every moment (sorry!):
1. Newborns stay where you put them
Oh, how I long for the days where I could put my children down and still find them in the same spot a f...