Chinese water torture - for parents

The Chinese may have mastered the art of using repetition as a torture device but I think their method is just a variation on the original - the incessant whine of a toddler. I don't know what was up with him today, but ALL DAY LONG Theo was making this sound, a sound that has become to me like nails on a chalkboard, like utensils on a plate. Describing it won't do it justice but he takes a basic sound like "uh-uh" and mixes it with a sense of urgency and a twist of whine. Things he was perfectly capable of reaching himself, he would point at and say "uh-uh!". Things he couldn't reach - "uh-uh!" Pointing out the window, trying to pick a picture up off the page of a book (something that really frustrates him), wanting me to turn on the TV, something he wants to eat, doesn't want to eat, you name it, that was the sound he used to tell me about it.

I know I'm not the only one dealing with this. A friend recently told me it makes her stomach turn when her son makes that noise. Other friends roll their eyes in empathy. Every time he does it I try to give him the word "help", "up", "more", "please". I've had a few successes and I know we'll get there eventually, but in the meantime I can't believe I made it through the day without locking myself in my room in a desperate attempt to escape that noise.