If you still hadn’t looked up images of newborn panda cubs, brace yourself.

The Smithsonian National Zoo’s giant panda mom Mei Xiang stepped out of her den Thursday morning for the first time since giving birth last week, offering zookeepers (and unfortunately, all of us) a first glimpse at the cub in all of its fur-less, screaming glory.

According to the zoo, Mei Xiang left her growing cub twice Thursday morning — once at 4:27 a.m. and again at 5:59 a.m. — to grab a drink of water. Dedicated and attentive mother that she is, Mei Xiang had gone without eating or drinking for the past six days to tend to her newborn.

While the zoo says that Mei Xiang’s ability to take roughly two minutes of me time are a sign that both she and her baby are doing well, the cub was definitely not having it.

The newborn, still reliant on Mei Xiang’s fur to regulate its body heat, let out screeches (reminiscent of a car’s windshield-wipers scraping against dry glass, or acrylic nails dragging across a chalkboard) as it sprawled out on all fours. The zoo says Mei Xiang immediately cradled the cub upon returning to the den.

Yesterday, Mei Xiang began setting down the cub for periods of time to test its reaction before completely exiting the den Thursday morning. As the cub continues to develop and Mei Xiang feels more comfortable leaving the it alone for longer periods of time, zookeepers will swoop in to conduct quick exams and testing that could identify the sex.

The cub’s debut into the spotlight comes on an exciting day for the family, as dad Tian Tian celebrates his 23rd birthday.

This is certainly not the first time we’ve litigated panda cuteness, but we’ve got to ask …

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