Nicki Minaj’s little one, Papa Bear, turned 4 years old on Monday (Sept. 30). The Barbz kicked off the celebration a bit earlier in the day — #PapaBear began trending on Twitter with almost 10,000 tweets — followed by the New York rapper penning a heartfelt message to him near midnight.

Taking to Instagram, Minaj wrote, “Happy 4th birthday, buddy. You’ve made Mama and Daddy so happy. Since you were in Mama’s tummy, you gave me a whole new meaning to life: hope. May God watch over you always and guide your path. No weapon formed against you will prosper. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.”

Along with the heartfelt note, the “FTCU” artist shared adorable moments of Papa Bear throughout the years, including spending time with his father, Kenneth Petty, and footage of him watching The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.

During a one-on-one with Jada Pinkett Smith for Interview Magazine, Minaj spoke about how much being a mom means to her. “First of all, being a mother is the biggest freaking blessing on planet Earth. I’m so happy that God allowed me to experience this,” she explained.

“I’ve always loved children, and I’ve always been great with children, but in the last few years, I started thinking, I know it’s going to be a huge shift for me because I’m used to going wherever I want, whenever I want, and I knew having a baby was going to change all that,” Minaj added. “But I absolutely love it. I love my son so much that I don’t know if it’s normal.”

Music-wise, the rapper mentioned Papa Bear on 2023’s “Are You Gone Already,” where she reflected on losing her dad before he had a chance to meet his grandson. The song appeared on Pink Friday 2, which Minaj is currently touring across North America for.