we have one

It's official, we have ourselves a toddlby.  Not quite a toddler but no longer a baby.  I read about this stage over on Jamie's blog.  Frustration comes easily to Olli now, he wants something but can't get to it fast enough or he wants a snack and we don't understand him quickly enough.  Trying to decipher different screams is tiring on us and I am positive he get's fed up that we don't get it.  Cuddling has gone out the window, it's all about efficiency now.  Sometimes it seems that I can't shovel food fast enough at lunch, he get's angry then it becomes next to impossible to feed him quickly because he is flailing around.  Morning is the only quiet time we have now, he will sit in his chair and drink his bottle, usually while watching Elmo.  I can eat some breakfast, tidy up and check my e-mail.  After his bottle it's fruit and cereal time, less meds mean this can be done even faster.  Play time comes next, books, toys, piano, bears, they all get abused before nap time.  I better not dare get up to go to the bathroom though, he will let me know that he doesn't approve.  Electrical cords are the coolest thing ever, must get hands on them NOW.  He pulls himself up on his play table, still has a hard time accomplishing it with the couch or coffee table.  If you hold his hands he tries to walk.  The teeth are still trying to come out, this totally adds to the crankiness.  Fits in public are stressful on me, I'm never quite sure how to handle them, at the moment we try not to give in usually we try and distract him.  A volume control would be really really handy during this stage because he still doesn't understand his feelings.  Surviving a fun and frustrating stage where fluff off the floor tastes better then real food.  How did you handle this phase without ripping all our hair out or having it turn completely gray?