Self-feeding Bootcamp Day 1

I finally broke down and did it. Millie Anne is turning two in just a little over a month and I am very ready for her to feed herself. So I decided to get serious about having her self feed. At the advice of family and friends, I put a towel under her chair this morning and set food in front of Millie and let her go at it. I knew she'd probably prefer to use her fingers, but I plan to work on getting her to use a fork and a spoon at least some of the time. At the outset, I told Millie that she was going to be a big girl today and feed herself. I also told her that she would have until the timer rings to eat each meal (I set it for an hour). She will not be allowed to dump, throw or spit her food. But she will be encourage to use every means at her disposal to get food to her mouth. Messes are expected, I will just periodically scoop her spills back onto her plate or into her bowl. I hope to see progress by week's end.
Here's how today went:
Breakfast
We started off with cold cereal and applesauce. Probably not the tidiest choice, but it's one of our typical breakfasts. As expected Millie used her fingers for the majority of the meal. She finished her cereal in 20 minutes, with some spoon use at my prompting (she did everything but scoop). Applesauce took another 15 minutes, and she used her fingers yet again (oy!). This self-feeding thing is just as tough on Momma as it is on Millie. I was biting my tongue so I wouldn't spazz about the mess. She did get most of it into her mouth and even picked up some of her spills. Just a few flakes on the towel and some on the seat.
Dinner (our midday meal)
Green spaghetti sauce on medium pasta shells, green beans, yellow squash and garlic toast. All food was consumed and no food on the towel. Plenty of sauce on the hands, placemat, tablecloth, seat and bib. Some good work on using a fork for the pasta and some good independent attempts at fork use. Meal completed in 30 minutes.
Lunch/Supper
Ham, sweet potato, mac and cheese, and apple. Took 40 minutes to eat 1/4th of an apple. Had to be heavily prompted to eat her apple. Finished sweet potato and ham with some fork work, finished most of the mac and cheese. Cried when timer went off and I took her food away. She only had 3 bites or so of mac and cheese and 1/4th of an apple unfinished. Debris extended past the towel and under the table, found a piece of squashed sweet potato underneath her and some uneaten macaroni in her bib. Nearly melted down myself over the 40 minutes she took on the apple. Gotta get a grip, this self-feeding bootcamp is not for sissies!