Former President George H.W. Bush has been placed in a hospital intensive care unit and is in "guarded condition," reports NBCNews.com.

The former president is battling an elevated fever, the story notes. He has been in the Houston hospital since Nov. 29, when he was treated for complications related to bronchitis. Even though it was thought at the time that he would only be hospitalized for a few days, those expectations were proved wrong, the story says.

Bush, 88, was visited on Christmas by his wife, Barbara, his son Neil, Neil’s wife and his grandson, Pierce, the story notes. They brought him Chinese food for Christmas dinner, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Bush is the oldest living president, the Chronicle notes.