Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
It's three years after the promotion. Close to four years after the baby was born.
Charlie and Renee invested in a car. It was a few years old at the time, but the previous owners kept it in good condition and didn't actually drive it much.
They had almost enough money set aside to pay the down payment on a small house nearby. It was leaps and bounds better than the shabby little apartment the resided in, but still in the same neighborhood.
The future was starting to look up.