Car Conversations

Some days our conversation as we drive to school is deep. For example, on Wednesday, Chloe asked me if they already had their names when we got them or if we gave them their names (for you adoption folks out there...no, we had not discussed their chinese names nor did we keep their chinese names in the names we gave them (long story). however, my girls are extremely educated as to where they were born and the whole adoption process -- to the point that is appropriate for their age. but the name thing had just never come up). that lead to a great discussion of their chinese names. we hide nothing from them, when they ask, we tell. let's just say they've asked most things MUCH earlier than i ever imagined.

That was Wednesday... then Thursdays car conversation went like this:

Chloe: Some bird went #2 on your window.

Me: Yes.

Chloe: Why do they do that?

Me: It just happens.

Chloe: When are you going to wash it off?

Me: I don't know.

[note that the conversation of bird droppings continues]

Emmi: Well, how come...[i interrupted her]

Me: [in frustration b/c this conversation has no end] Birds just fly around and potty when they need to potty and sometimes it lands on our car.

Emmi: NO, that is not what i was asking.

Me: ok, what?

Emmi: How come bird poop is white and not brown?

and there you have it folks. the questions that are running through the mind of my 5 year old. i did not have an answer to her last question. never thought about it before, but emmi has! and for those of you who know me well, you know that i have now googled that question and i now have an answer...Unlike mammals, birds don't urinate. Their kidneys extract nitrogenous wastes from the bloodstream, but instead of excreting it as urea dissolved in urine as we do, they excrete it in the form of uric acid. Uric acid has a very low solubility in water, so it emerges as a white paste.