Melamine

Over the past few months, some of you may have heard about the additive "melamine" that's been discovered in infant formulas in China. It made the headlines because many children were affected and it caused a lot of concern for those of us adopting. Initially we were told that only parents who have brought home very young children should be concerned, so we breathed a sigh of relief. Then, on Friday, we became aware through the grapevine of adoptive families that anyone adopting a child born from 2005 and on should have their children tested. It appears that melamine was added to formula for much longer than what was first thought, and several adopted children born in 2005 have been found to be affected. Maia was born in June 2005.

Melamine is a substance that's added to formula to increase the appearance of protein content, and can be toxic if ingested. It can cause kidney stones, infections and kidney failure. Although this is very worrisome for us, none of the children in Maia's orphanage have tested positive for this poisoning. Of course, many families are just now recieving this news, so we'll see what the next few weeks hold. What this means for us is that Maia will need some extra blood and urine tests when she comes home (Yikes!!)and we'll need to say a few extra prayers for her in the meanwhile!

As far as the timing of our travel, it looks like it will be about 8-9 weeks until we're IN China!! Let the packing begin!!