The Sweet Potato Explosion of 2007.

Noah is the messiest eater!!!!!!!! In addition to the normal can't-quite-keep-it-all-in-my-mouth mess, he loves to "help" with his hands. This means trying to grab the spoon, or more recently, pushing the food from the spoon into his mouth with his fingers. He also likes to suck his fingers/thumb once the food is in his mouth. I've read this helps them swallow, so I let him go at it. Then once his hands are all messy, he likes to finger-paint on the tray of the highchair. Another tip I read says give them their own spoon if they can't keep their hands off yours. That works great except then he's more interested in chewing on his own spoon to let mine in his mouth, AND he gets mad that his spoon doesn't taste as good. I've seen messy baby photos, but none that hint at the whole-body experience that Noah seems to enjoy. Are others just better at disguising it, or is Noah crazy-messy? This is sweet potatoes: