"Taking him out of the game was not easy for me to do and I feel like I have made a lot of progress getting him out of my head, but I still have a lot of work to do."
Dear hailee
It sounds to me like he has a whole lot to change before he is ready for a relationship with his family.
My STBXAH used the excuse of wanting to be with his children. it has been (let me count) three months of No contact from his side. be careful that he does not manipulate you still and uses the children as a tool to make you soften up.