Considering switching to in-person application

Thanks so much! That really helps.
Did either of you see anyone who was given an issue because their 6 pieces of mail were not perfectly evenly distributed? (This is assuming you may have commiserated with fellow applicants in the room.)
I'm sure you guys have seen my posts about my panic for having a larger than desirable gap (about 4.5 months .... Well, two gaps of similar length).

Any issues with documents were discussed in private so I didn't actually see any processing going on, neither did it come up in discussion.

Honestly, if you have 6 pieces spanning 2.5 years, you will probably be fine even if there is a bit of a gap. If you are worried, include a letter explaining why.