Mom left in dust as twins hit 1 year in a flash

Here's my latest column. 

Twelve months and counting, and I can’t believe it.
I never could have guessed I would have made it this far in the realm of motherhood.
My husband, John, and I are the busy, stressed-out parents of twin girls – one who’s bald, one who has a head of hair. They celebrated their first birthday recently.
Boy, has one year gone by fast.
It seemed like it was just the other day I was swinging a golf club with my husband – our last official outing before parenthood. An hour later, my water broke. And in the wee hours of a Tuesday morning, our babies Brett and Kaci were born.
At the time, their first birthday seemed light years away. I didn’t think I’d ever get through the period of no sleep, the screams from colic or the change of lifestyle – one that meant more days in the house watching two girls than going out gallivanting.
Then they hit six months. They got teeth and began to crawl. Soon, they were eating macaroni and cheese beside mommy and daddy at the dinner table.
Then – gasp – one year passes, and two little girls are sitting at their high chairs slamming down birthday cake in front of memorized onlookers. Where did the time go?
I didn’t figure I’d get used to bad diapers or food everywhere. Now I don’t even think twice when a Cheerio or sweet pea crunches underfoot, although I still scream for John when I smell something foul.
Still, it’s the toughest job occupation I’ve ever encountered. On most days, our house is a whirlwind of activity, and the little monsters, as John calls them, are in the center of it.
Keep your hands out of the poop, and your hat on your head. Brett, don’t pull your sister’s hair! Kaci, that’s Brett’s pacifier, don’t take it from her, and don’t dig through the trash. Why are you pooping sand?
Didn’t Mommy say no?
If only they would make it easier. I tried to tell them this during their one-year review. If they were listening at all, they didn’t seem to acknowledge it. Instead, we repeat the same scenario daily.
Still, I can’t help but wish they’d stay a year old forever.
I don’t want Brett to get hair – she’s my cute, bald little kid. And I definitely don’t want Kaci to get any more active. She’s already running from room the room and into everything.
I love how they babble to each other in some foreign language that only they understand. I love how they cuddle when they’re tired, how they’re eyes light up when we walk into the room and they see us, how they try to give us kisses.
Then, all of a sudden, they are 1, and here we are having a party celebrating the momentous occasion.
It brought both joy and terror.
They screamed at the people, which included close relatives that they don’t see a lot. I felt terrible as they clung to John and I – desperately trying to tell us, “Mommy, Daddy, make them leave!”
But they started to cheer up when present time rolled around. They tried to eat the packaging.
They loved the cake, which they happily stuffed in their mouths and smeared on their face, clothing and high chair, then dripped the bright blue icing on the floor.
And somehow, they slept well that night, despite the sugar high.
When it was all over, John and I sat back, exhausted from the planning, the people and the overall event.
“I’m a little sad it happened so fast,” I told him of the past year.
“But look at everything we have to look forward to,” he reminded, then rattled off all the things he wanted to do with his little girls.
I guess he’s right, I thought, and then smiled. They’ve brought so much happiness and love to our little family.