just got my macbook a couple hours ago, and it said i had 9 updates but its taking a couple hours does that seem normal? also what should the first things i do with a new macbook? ie download certain things? calibrate the battery?
That probably is normal, how long updates take to download all depends on the speed of your internet connection. As far as what to do first, it's probably a good idea to calibrate the battery. Also install any apps that you want to use.
The download time of updates depends on your download speed your ISP provides and sometimes the Apple servers are a bit slow, but often that is not the case.
Also have a look at the following links to learn more about Mac OS X: