To people complaining about join date limitations:
Please consider that the staff do everything within good reason, and while I personally do feel that three months is a little exessive, I can understand why it has been done like that. While I feel bad for everyone who genuinely joined within the limits, just remember, December 18th happens every year, so if you can't adopt this year, you can be all the more excited for next year. Besides, we don't know for sure yet that the limit is three months, so who knows.
Being a user who joined in 2012, I would hate it if they took join date limits out all together, mainly because it would mean cheaters, even though a lot would be caught, would be adopting bunches of really rare pets and lowering the rarity. I worked hard for my account, even if my two best pets were gotten through luck and gifts. So I'd hate to see the effort of me, and every other long time player, to be put to waste through cheaters.
Also, I was a part of the 4588 users who adopted at rollover last year, which is midnight in my timezone, and the lag, was absolutely horrendous.