Any ideas on how to close the distance between grandmother and 1 year old grandson?

It sounds to me as if you are doing everything you can think of to make this distance be much less. I understand how hard it is not to have grandma and your child see one another all the time, and physically show each other love. I am the lucky grandma who lives by my grandson, while Abuela, the mother's mother, is far away. I talk about her all the time to my grandson, in very upbeat ways. I show him many, many pictures of her, and we 'create' the most marvelous construction paper 'things' to mail to her, that he made, all by himself! He has loved doing this! She remains a 'real' person to him, this way. The videos are terrific! My grandson does our commercials (walking in them, pointing to things), and we send her copies of all the DVD's for this, as well.

You are a grand person, to realize how painful this is for your mama. You really are.

Webcam and skype. It's free. Not the webcam. No matter what it going to be hard for her. She probably misses you just as much. But that is the way of American families. We live in a big country and go where we can find a decent job. She will get over it a bit more as time goes on and you can always visit on holidays, right.

My kid's long distance grandma loves the webcam.

get her a webcam and get one for yourself, set them up so you can set up a time to talk and see each other every week. it would be good for all of you all.

Move her in with YOU! Otherwise the distance IS still there.

Webcams.....