Things I've learned over the past 9 days...

• If, in the future, my water breaks, I should drop everything immediately and head to the birthing center/hospital; there'll likely be a baby within around 65 minutes.
• Proud big brothers can be so sweet with their newborn baby sisters.
• Proud big brothers can be so violent with their newborn baby sisters.
• My sister-in-law, my daughter, and I myself were all given middle names after our maternal grandmothers.
• Baby girl clothes are waaaaay cuter than boy clothes. Waaaay cuter.
• A dark-haired baby's dark hair is a source of constant awe and delight in a family of blondes. (Even if it will likely revert to blonde eventually.)
• A good midwife is a wonderful thing.
• A lot of things are waaaay easier the second time around, but there is still plenty of learning to do (mostly with regard to the firstborn).
• Netflix streams Kipper and Sesame Street (this isn't actually the first time I learned that fact - but it's the first time I learned its true value).
• There's nothing quite like a day of constant Facebook notifications bringing news of friends' and family members' loving good wishes.
• My laptop is too large to balance on my nursing pillow.
• A hot shower never felt so good. Especially when it involves being in a room all by myself for at least 15 minutes.
• A Kindle is a truly remarkable device, and Agatha Christie is the perfect companion for 3 am feedings.
• So this is what exhaustion feels like...
• A good mother (or mother-in-law) is of immeasurable worth.
• Meals brought by church families are as close to Heavenly feasts as we are likely to see here on earth.
• Mothers love the darnedest things. Like the scrunched up face of a newborn just before she lets loose on a monstrous bellow. Or the shining face of a toddler as he runs into the room in the early morning with a sing-song "Hi, Mommy" and a dash towards the bassinet to greet Baby Sister.
• When you've called someone "Baby Sister" for nine months, it's hard to break the habit.
• God is good. (This is also a fact that I had learned previously, but I'm appreciating it anew right now, in the midst of rich blessings and bountiful mercy.)