Thank you Wayne and Rusty for the sound advice (pun intended). Unfortunately, I did purchase 3 sheets of 8x4' birch. It's good stuff but definitely not Baltic Birch or Russian Birch.
I did locate a high end lumber yard in Pittsburgh and I'll be picking up a few sheets of the good stuff. In other news, I'll be building a work bench, a couple new boxes to house my vinyl records, and a step stool for my son.
I most certainly have a use for this wood. I'll be practicing my dado and rabbet cuts and gluing. That way when I start formal construction, it won't be my first time on a table saw.