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Minneapolis (WCCO) ― Abbigail and Isabelle Carlsen were doing well Saturday as the formerly conjoined twins recovered from separation surgery at the Mayo Clinic, and spent the night in separate beds for the first time in their five-month lives.

"Thank you Lord for answering our prayers!!!" their father, Jesse Carlsen, wrote in a message posted Saturday on the family's Web journal at caringbridge.org.

The Mayo Clinic issued a statement saying the girls were doing well "after an uneventful night. They remain in intensive care under sedation as planned, breathing with assistance of ventilators, and their vital signs are stable."

The statement said the parents, Jesse and Amy Carlsen, of Fargo, N.D., remained at the girls' bedsides through the night at the clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Jesse Carlsen wrote that the twins "had a good night with no problems." He said he and their mother talked to Abby "and her legs started to stir so I know she heard us.

"Belle was getting an ultrasound to check things out and we were told everything looked good on both girls," he added.

Abbigail and Isabelle were born Nov. 29, joined at the diaphragm, pancreas and liver. A Mayo Clinic team of 70 people had been caring for the girls and preparing for Friday's separation since February. Doctors had estimated there was a 90 percent to 95 percent chance that both girls would survive.

Dr. Christopher Moir, the lead surgeon, described the operation as "flawless" on Friday night. He said the girls were expected to remain critically ill for the next 24 to 48 hours, but that doctors were hopeful the twins could then come off their ventilators and perhaps begin waking up.

Jesse Carlsen wrote Saturday that he and his wife are looking forward to that.

"We will be there to make sure the first thing they see is our faces," he wrote. "If all goes well I hope to have the first pictures of Mom and I holding the girls separate for the first time this coming week."

Friday night, the team of specialists explained the challenges of separating Isabelle and Abbigail, who were conjoined at the chest and abdomen.

"The good news is there are two separate hearts," cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Joseph Dearani said. "The difficult news was Isabelle's heart. A good portion of it extended into Abbigail's chest."

The team was able to reposition Isabelle's heart safely and don't anticipate any long term heart problems. The most intense part of the operation involved separating their fused livers.

"The livers were clearly well joined together," Moir said. "They were skewed and growing into each other's body."

Plastic surgeons finished the operation, which lasted about 12 hours.

"The tissue expansion went flawlessly," plastic surgeon Dr. Ricky Clay said. "We were able to hide the good work of our colleagues. They closed up nicely. We even had enough left over to make a couple of belly buttons."

The next challenge for the twins will be taking out the breathing tubes. There is some concern the girls will have difficulty breathing with the tighter chests and abdomen.

At this point, it's not clear just how long the twins will stay in the hospital. So far, doctors say they should have healthy futures.

The Carlsen family's guestbook on caringbridge.org had recorded around 94,000 visits by midday Saturday. More than 2,300 well-wishers from across the country and around the world have posted messages since the site was set up last December. Many of the messages offered prayers and shared hopeful Bible verses.

The parents thanked the many people who have been pulling for them.

"Thank you for your support and prayers," they said in a statement issued by Mayo. "It's amazing how our girls have touched so many people's lives."

Donations or cards can be sent to: Town & Country Credit Union, 815 25th St. S., Fargo, N.D., 58103.

(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)