There's a difference between love and hate. It's very fine. It's not because he's the baby-momma that he'd help her up. It's because he's still in love with her. He expresses it as because she gave him three beautiful children to make the kids feel special and to take away his pain and hurt.
No BS. She's the baby-mamma because he loved/loves her. He just can't be with her. His choice or hers I do not know but he does love her even if he can't stand to be around her.
Your H's connection with you is there. He cares for his S. He does. He has to talk to you because of S. But he seems to be using it as an excuse to get near you and watch. He wants to know you're changing (you are) and that those changes are permanent.
Work on you. Do it. Don't wait. Do it now.
AJ
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter" MLK Put the glass down... "Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."