Jun 4, 2006 5:53 pm US/Central
Separated Twins Leave Mayo Clinic
by Jeanette Trompeter
Rochester, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Abby and Belle play in exersaucers, something they couldn't do when they were conjoined.
CBS
Saturday was Abby and Belle Carlsen's 100th day -- and their last day -- at the Mayo Clinic. The six-month-old, formerly conjoined twins woke up at Mayo, but they won't go to sleep here. They really won't go to sleep.
Amy Carlsen bounces her daughter Belle up and down while walking the hospital hallway.
"Oh, you're so close to falling asleep," she tells Belle.
Amy and her husband Jesse want their daughters to have one last nap and bottle before heading to the Ronald McDonald House.
The twins have other plans. "So much for naptime," said Amy.
While Mom and Dad pack, Abby and Belle play in Exersaucers, something they couldn't do before their separation surgery three weeks ago. The Carlsens have accumulated a lot of stuff since arriving at Mayo in late February. Their daughters been at the hospital so long many of their outfits no longer fit.
"A lot of them are from when they were together," said Amy. That's how she describes the five and a half months the sisters spent connected from their chests to their abdomens. When they were together.
"They're kickin' us out of here," laughs Jesse Carlsen as he pushes a cart of gear. "It's like sad to be leaving, but it will be good to be home." Even though the Carlsens moved many of the girls' belongings the day before, Jesse still has to make multiple trips to the parking ramp Saturday.
The fact that they're going home with two separate daughters hasn't really sunk in yet for Amy and Jesse Carlsen.
"It's going to be exciting, but I think the real thing is when we leave on Tuesday," said Amy. "That's when … reality will hit. Oh wow, we're going home, now what?"
For Abby and Belle, this is a day of firsts. It's the first day of life as Mayo Clinic outpatients. It's the first time they're dressed identically. It will be their first time riding in car seats, too.
"Mom's practicing car seat here. Momma's practicing," Amy tells Abby and Belle as she adjusts their car seat straps. She worries the straps are too tight. The nurses assure her that they're supposed to be that way.
The Carlsens are eager to experience what most parents take for granted -- everyday life at home.
"Just to be home and have our own routine," said Amy. For months, she and Jesse have had to get up, get dressed and get in a car before ever seeing their daughters. They look forward to mornings spent playing in pajamas.
Abby and Belle are leaving the Mayo Clinic much differently than they arrived. They used to share organs -- liver, intestine and pancreas. Starting today they share the backseat.
Jesse Carlsen drives his family a few blocks to the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester. He and Amy have lived there ever since the twins entered the hospital on February 24. Tonight for the first time, the twins will stay there too.
The Carlsens won't be spending much more time in the city. On Monday they will attend a farewell reception at the Mayo Clinic. It will be a chance for members of Abby and Belle's care team to say goodbye to their now-famous patients.
Then Tuesday morning the twins will fly home to Fargo with their Mom and Dad.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Slideshow: Carlsen Twins Leave The Hospital
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