RE: visiting Vancouver!!
Hi! I went to university in NY, just south of the Cdn border, and it is much, much milder here in Vancouver than out there. Bring layers and a rain jacket. I don't know about this year, but last year it got really cold at night, cold enough for my down coat, but during they day a fleece-lined jacket was alright alone. If you have some waterproof boots, bring those too.
As for stores here, I haven't been to all of these, but off of the top of my head, we have TJs (www.tjskids.com), hipbaby (http://www.hipbaby.com), and Crocodile Baby (http://www.crocodilebaby.com).
Further afield, in Coquitlam (not too far a drive, but nutty traffic almost all of the time), there is It's a Baby's World (http://www.itsababysworld.com/babyworld.html). Actually - their website says they now have a location in Kitsilano, which is right in Vancouver near a couple of the other stores I mentionned above.
Petra
Mother of Two
Owner of BaDumBums