Life with a 16 month old.

Remember all of those posts about how easy and sweet number 3 has been to me? I now want to go back and erase them all.
For the past 5 and a half years I have traveled extensively with the kids, at one point I think I counted over 25 trips Logan has been on, something like 65 planes! Within 5 years. Of course the past 16 months it has been much more limited and even replaced with the dreaded road trips instead.
Well on Monday we returned from CT and let's just say I didn't even get my makeup bag out of my suitcase until last night. I am so exhausted with her. I am thinking about never going on another plane with that child again. Abi and Logan are pretty much self sufficient on a plane (besides the time the lady in front of Abi scolded me to "Ask her to stop kicking my seat, PLEASE!"). Seriously, I would almost consider putting them on a plane by them selves ~if they let me, with back packs full of goodies I don't have to do much. Annika on the other hand was a complete terror. Saying that it felt like I was wrestling with an Octopus would be too kind. Maybe if it was a screeching, spitting, biting octopus, it would be a better analogy.
She didn't really bug everyone else like the screaming baby you dread you find yourself next to on a long haul. She just waited until everyone around us got into a nice, relaxing place and decided to let out a short, high pitched screech to let me (and everyone else on the plane) know she was bored out of her mind with the 300 different things I was trying to tirelessly entertain her with. This routine continued for all 2 hours of the endless trip.
I know it could of been worse. I could of had that baby that never seems to run out of energy to scream. Or it could have been a repeat of the flight back from Phonex where Logan puked and dry heaved the whole trip.
Yet, I am burnt on idea of ever being trapped in a 4 1/2 foot radius with my 3 Children for a LONG, LONG time.
The only thing that keeps this girls attention longer than 30 seconds is if she has the opportunity to put things in and out of some type of a container. She loves putting toys in purses and bags and carrying them around. This morning at breakfast she pulled a whole container of Logans million crayons/crayon pieces on to the floor. I was disgusted at first, till I realized that we then had the next 40 minutes filled with her opening a container putting in crayons and closing, standing up and clapping, only to go get more. Soon, I was taking some of the crayons back out when she wasn't looking to keep this little disaster going. What fun.
I love seeing her figure things out, and more than that I love that she is entertained enough to not be screeching at me or pulling at my leg. She has become really loud and whinny but that is probably part of being the youngest of three, she must be heard, and NOW!