Shylah and Selah, joined at the chest at the time of their birth, are now walking and talking.
Misty and Curtis Oglesby could only dream their twin daughters would live long enough to reach their terrible twos and throw monumental temper tantrums.
On Thursday, they reached that milestone, and the formerly conjoined twins celebrated their second birthday as happy, healthy — and separated — sisters.
Read: Twins Conjoined at the Heart Are Separated in Miracle Surgery
And yes, their parents say, there is the occasional hissy fit thrown by every 2-year-old in the history of human kind, but they don't mind one bit.
“They are my miracles,” said their mother. “I am in awe of their progress.”
The Indiana twins were joined at the lower chest when they were born. They had separate hearts and lungs but shared a liver.
They were still in the womb when doctors first realized the girls were bound to each other. Their survival rate was estimated between five and 25 percent.
After their birth, physicians at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center spent three months mapping a separation strategy that included prepping the girls for surgery by stretching the skin around the areas where their tiny bodies merged.
Read: Youngest Ever Conjoined Twins Are Successfully Separated at Just 8 Days Old
The six-hour procedure was successful, but Shyla, and particularly Selah, were not out of the woods yet.
Selah had a congenital heart defect and endured several surgeries to repair it. She didn’t leave the hospital for home until she was nine months old. Until recently, she had a feeding tube.
“Now she eats so much table food I can barely keep up with her,” Misty said.
Shylah is the talkative one, the diva, and the one mastering the toddler art of throwing tantrums, her parents say. Selah is catching up.
“Today feels like their first birthday,” says their mom. “Their first birthday in which they’ll be able to eat cake. The first birthday where they’re mobile and able to get around and open presents.”
Watch: 13-Month-Old Conjoined Twin Boys Conjoined at Head Are Successfully Separated
