The Associated Press

5 p.m. - ROCHESTER, Minn. - The Mayo Clinic said a joyful farewell Monday to Abbigail and Isabelle Carlsen, who arrived as conjoined twins and are going home as healthy, separate six-month-old girls.

The twins and their parents, Amy and Jesse Carlsen, of Fargo, were surrounded by their caregivers and a horde of photographers during a send-off celebration in the courtyard of St. Marys Hospital. Mayo officials put out a spread for the family, including three cakes that said, "We wish you the best. Abbigail and Isabelle."

The girls were separated on a wet, rainy day just over three weeks ago. Dr. Christopher Moir, who led the surgical team, said the girls' father remarked that the light that day was in the operating room.

"Today that light is out in the world," Moir said.

"Abby and Belle came to us joined at the chest and abdomen, and they will leave us cradled in arm and arm, as they go out into a life of light and wonder."

Moir paid tribute not only to team of 70 to 100 people at Mayo who directly cared for the girls, but also to the team assembled by the parents who will take over from here. It's a team includes their families, their church, their community from Fargo, Jesse Carlsen's employer "and the many thousands of people who have followed their lives and prayed for them."

Moir said it was time to pass the torch to them.

The surgeon said he is both pleased and relieved that the twins' recovery has progressed so well. "At a very deep level, I had every confidence it would turn out this way," he said. "At much more superficial levels, I woke up in sweating panic all the time."

The girls were released from Mayo's children's hospital on Saturday and have been staying at the local Ronald McDonald House, which provides lodgings for families of children who are patients at Mayo.

The parents said they were confident that the girls' surgery and recovery would go as well as it has.

"I just had a strong belief and trust that we were guided to Mayo for a reason," Jesse Carlsen said. "The reason is here - two beautiful girls."

Amy Carlsen said they have plenty of help waiting for them at home. She said their mother was getting their house ready now and Jesse's family will eventually take over from her. "And we have lots of friends and church members ready to help," she said.

The Carlsens will fly home to Fargo on Tuesday and a welcome home ceremony is scheduled for noon at the airport.

Amy Carlsen said one of her biggest surprises has been watching the girls develop their new identities now that they're separated.

"Their personalities have changed, and they're just blossoming," she said.

"One minute you think you've got Belle figured out or Abby, and they switch on you like within half an hour."

Moir said the girls will come back to Mayo in two to three weeks for a check up. He said Mayo usually sees it's complex patients about every three months, but the girls have great doctors in Fargo and may not need to visit Rochester for a year after their next appointment.

Moir said he remains confident the girls will not need additional surgery, but that doctors will be following them closely, particularly to see if their chest walls develop properly.

Abbigail and Isabelle's other caregivers said they felt a mix of joy and sadness at saying goodbye to the twins.

Maren Rudzik, a physical therapist who had been working with the girls since before their separation, predicted they'll go far in life.

"They have a wonderful future ahead of them. … There's just so much happiness, that it takes away any of the sadness that you originally had," she said.

Sheila Horak, who had been the twins' primary care nurse except for their time in intensive care, said it's time for them to go home and begin living normal lives.

"We are obviously very happy," she said. "But we are going to be sad to see them go."