Date entry via popup window isn't properly added to the field for jQuery validation

This one is messy: I have a form using the Date field with the pop-up window as the means of entry. I'm also doing jQuery validation (bassistance) to confirm that a value for the field was in fact entered. What I'm getting is the following:

• I submit the form without specifying a value for the field.
• jQuery validation detects the omission and flags the error.
• I click in the text field and the popup calendar appears. I pick a value.
• The text value of the date I picked appears in the text field. However, the validation messages does not go away, and the text field retains its "error" class.
• I click back into the text field, and then back out again.
• This time, the validation message and error class are removed, and all's well.

I ran some experiments that hung some code on the tex field's blur handler, and was able to confirm that the entered value is "not really there" until I click in and out of the field -- doing a .val() on the field showed nothing immediately after the value was entered, but showed the correct value after the click-in-click-out was done.

Any thoughts on this? I've tried a few jQuery hacks to simulate the click-in-and-out after the initial blur caused by the popup window's entry, but no luck so far... Thanks!