You need to understand when you earn which points, not just what points you earn. The credit card points are only earned (to Choice itself) once per statement cycle, nowhere the time of the posting of the points from the stay itself.

The gold points are in addition to the 8000 for two stays.

So for those 2 Quality stays you earned 8261, or 261 extra over 8261. Your rates were $89, $86 and $86 (you don't earn points on taxes/etc), which adds up to $261 $261 times 10 is 2160, 10% of that is 261. So that's why you earned 8261 total, 8000 was from the promo, and 261 was the Gold bonus.

The credit card points will come separately, and not until after you credit card statement closes. And you'll have trouble seeing them on the new site until the new site implements Statements (which they keep promising as "coming soon").

But as to why your balance went up less, I dunno, try waiting a day or two and see if it straightens out.